Attack on Titan: The Gray (Rewrite)
by jacques0
Summary: After the Fall of Wall Maria, Sarah's eyes are opened to the cruel world she was born in, a world were the strong pray on the weak and if you want to survive...you best be ready to stand and fight.
1. The Day the World Changed

**Hey guys, here is the rewrite of my original Attack on Titan story. I have reworked my story to follow closely with the canon story, but it won't be like every part of it will follow directly. While major arcs will happens, they will be from Sarah's POV (Point of View) thought some POV of other characters will appears to help the flow of the story but i won't rewrite scenes from both manga and anime shot for shot if Sarah isn't here to witness it.**

 **I will write it similarly to how i wrote my Child of Heaven fic, thought THIS IS NOT A SELF INSERT. This is Sarah's story but I decided to write it in first person view, to give a more intimate feeling with our protagonist. As it is said, Sarah will interact with canon characters when they are around, but she won't actively seek them out, since her story will be wrapped around the canon storyline as she did her own thing while the canon character do theirs.**

 **OH and by the way, SPOILERS FOR THOSE WHO ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE MANGA and I DONT OWN ATTACK ON TITAN just writing this for my own enjoyment...**

 **Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah's turned back as she was facing the Wall in front of her which had a large skinless hand atop of it.

Chapter One

The Day the World Changed

Like everyone I was completely frozen in shock at the sight that I was seeing. When I first heard of the loud explosion noises, I had believed that it must have been a canon or something that had happened with the Garrison soldiers that were in the city, however, nothing in my life could have prepared me for the sight of the giant skinless hand that was on top of the Wall.

I can feel my hands going slack, tightening my grip upon the instrument that was within my fingers, heart palpitating as I stared at the sight of the hand…unable to believe what I was seeing, the fear rising within my body at the sight.

 _Titan._

It was a Titan…it's large head slowly appearing from above the top of the Wall, covered in smoke as well as it stood there, a large skinless face staring down at the city of Shingashina…

 ** _A few hours ago,_**

The entire reason I was in Shingashina was because of my parents. I was seating in a carriage beside my mother, looking out toward the window with a complete and utter boredom. My father had some business associate that he had to meet within the city and since he was going to be gone for a few days, my mother had the brilliant idea to go and meet with her sister who was staying in Shingashina and as her lone daughter, I had no choice but to go along with her.

"It has been quite a long time since we've seen Maria," my mom spoke out drawing my attention toward her.

"How come she never visits?" I asked her.

"She did visit some times ago but that was around when you were born," my mother told me with a small smile, "But her work keeps her busy, so she can't really leave home all that often…thought she did come to your birthday party when you were five, so I am not surprised if you don't remember it."

I stayed silent, thinking back to that birthday.

I don't really remember much of that time to tell you the truth but I still have some impression of people there and some familiar voices here and there and that's the extent of my knowledge of what happened that day. Maybe if I see her face, then I would remember her thought I doubt that it would amount to everything at all.

"How are your flute lessons going?" my mother asked golden eyes turning toward me.

I let out a small shrug.

"They're okay," I said, "Miss Borgia say that I need to practice my dexterity more. It seems my fingers are a little stiff when I move them."

My mother let out a small hum.

"Why don't you play something for your father's birthday coming up in a few weeks?" she asked.

I gave her a look.

"What?"

"It would be a nice surprise don't you think?" she said urging me, "It would be a great gift to give to him."

I thought about it.

My father wasn't a man that I believed would ever enjoy something like that. He was always business whenever he was around with us and most of the time, there was something about him that just…feel odd whenever he and my mother were together. I don't know if it was just my mind playing a trick on me or something, but sometimes I would see this look in his eyes…

And it scares me. I wanted to talk to my mother about it, but what can I say? I returned my eyes toward my mother who was gently smiling. The woman had long ebony dark hair and golden eyes, a trait that many of her family shares. I didn't have the dark hair that most of her family has, sharing my own father's light brown hair color, however, my eyes were the shade of ember like the color of the sunset on a late afternoon day.

My father hardly spent any time with me anyway. He was always out of the house, on business or something else that I didn't know of so I doubt he would care much about anything like that. However, I buried all of those ugly feelings within me and give my mother a light smile.

"I'm not that good yet," I told her.

"But I hear you play sometimes," she said, "You sound amazing."

"That's not what Miss Borgia says," I answered with a small laughter.

My mother shook her head before her attention was drawn toward something outside, I glanced at where she was looking and I could see the Wall in the distance meaning that we were getting closer to the Shingashina District. I let out a small hum leaning toward the window so that I could see the Wall Maria.

"We're almost there," she said, "I send a letter ahead to Maria to tell her about our coming. We should be reaching them in a little while."

I kept my attention upon the Wall that was slowly approaching toward us. In history class, they tell us that this Wall is the last stronghold mankind was able to build before the Titans could drive us to extinction and as I observed the approaching walls, something caught my eyes causing me to turn.

It was of a group of bird flying in a formation in direction of the wall and I continued to follow them with my eyes until they flew beyond it and out of my sight. I stayed seated there looking at the wall that was keeping us safe from the Titans and yet, as I stared at it, I spoke out.

"Hey mom, didn't Uncle Markus join the Survey Corps?"

My mother let out a soft hum.

"He did," she said, her voice taking a soft melancholic tone, "And he died."

"Did he tell you why he joined?"

My mother laughed.

"As if anyone could understand what was going on in Markus's head," she answered with a light shake of her head, "He was just a dreamer and that got him killed."

I turned toward my mother seeing the sad expression upon her face. I don't remember Uncle Markus much but I knew that he was still alive when I was born since he was present for a few of my birthday but he didn't show up to my fifth one, having died the year before outside of the Walls. I let out another soft hum, the carriage we were riding in approaching toward the entrance Gate of the District.

Shingashina was big.

Houses littered around as far as the eye could see as the large Wall rose around it. All of the houses share similar colored rooftops and as we were passing through the streets, I noticed that they were not pavement like in the territory of Wall Rose and it from the way everyone was dressed, it was easy to see that it was a poor district. There was a saying that many of the territory beyond Wall Rose were mostly farmlands and people who didn't have much to live by.

"If your sister is from your family," I asked, "Why did she want to live all the way out here?"

My mother didn't say anything as her eyes were focused upon the passing buildings. There was an odd expression upon her face but she didn't answer me at all almost like she didn't even hear what I told her. She does that sometimes, simply becoming lost in her thoughts whenever she talks about her family. Other than coming for my birthday, I don't see much of my mother's side of the family. Uncle Markus joined the Survey Corps and auntie Maria staying here in Shingashina.

However, I have become aware of my father's side of the family. He has a sister, Charlotte, who has a son about my age, but we don't really get along all that well and with my father's strange behavior around me…I don't really look forward to it much whenever they were coming back to visit at the house. Then the carriage came to a stop, snapping me out of my thoughts.

In no time at all, the door was opened and our butler was here extending a hand toward my mother who was the first person to step out of the carriage and I followed closely behind her. The street was large where we had stopped and I found myself staring at a modest looking home. It was not as extravagant as the homes that were in Rose or Sina territory but it had a certain charm to it. I was holding the case of my flute within my arms as I stood beside my mother looking at the home. A man had come to greet us. He had short dark hair and a beard but his eyes shone lightly as he was staring at us.

"You must be Rosa," the man said looking at my mother, "Maria told me that you were coming today."

My mother stared at the man for a few moments as if she couldn't place him before something seems to click in her head.

"Kyle?" she said surprised.

The man laughed.

"I know, I am not the man I was, am I?" he grinned.

My mom smiled and took the man in a small hug which he returned. They seem to know each other from the looks of it. Then the man, Kyle's attention was turned toward me, and his eyes which were a curious green looked at me with surprise.

"My," he said, "You must be Sarah. Look at the size of you, the last time I saw you were so young and now already a young woman."

"Thank you," I said with a light smile feeling the blush warming my cheeks at the compliments.

"Where is she?" My mother asked.

Kyle shook his head.

"She had been gone since morning," he told her, "But she should be back soon. With you here, I'm sure that she would want to catch up on how things are going."

"I hope so."

We followed Kyle into the house and it didn't have much inside. There was table visible as well as another room at the end of the house. Some food was upon the table and there were some apples as well, something which drawn my eyes quite quickly. I always had a fondness for the fruit whenever I saw it and I always asked if they have some back home.

"So how are things back home?" Kyle asked, as he placed some food for us on the table.

"Not much has changed," my mother answered with a light shrug of her shoulders, "Karl still has his business to take care of and I wanted to visit my sister today instead of staying alone in that house. It had been some years since we truly talked…but how are you here Kyle, the last I heard you were working in that bamboo mines?"

"I am still working there," Kyle answered, "But I have a few days off, so I came back home to spent some time with my wife. I heard that you were coming too, so all the better so we can talk again like we used to back then."

My mother had a light frown upon her face at that.

"Is that so?" she murmured softly, "I didn't expect that at all. I must say, Maria always had a penchant for doing thing her way even when we were children."

As I was eating, there was this odd tension in the air around the duo as they continued to talk politely to each other but I was completely focused upon my food not paying attention to any of them at all. It's not like they were talking to me anyway and I didn't know much about this Kyle to actually know him well.

Then, the sound of a bell started to echo across the city stopping the conversation as everyone's attention was turned toward it. I frowned lightly at the sound of the ringing bell. I didn't know what it was but somehow, it filled my heart with some form of apprehension.

"They're back," Kyle said softly, his voice subdued.

I turned my gaze toward the two adults in the room, a light frown upon my face confused as to what was going on. I stood up from my seat and made my way toward the window to see what was happening but there was nothing to be seen at all.

"You won't see them from here Sarah," my mother said drawing my attention toward her, "They only travel through the main road out of the District."

"Who are they?" I asked, confused.

"The Survey Corps," Kyle said, "They had an expedition this morning before you came…didn't expect them to come back this early thought…"

The Survey Corps.

The same division that Markus joined long ago. I stayed silent for a few moments thinking about them for a few moments. I didn't know anything about them at all other than they were the butt of a joke somewhere in the Capital. They were the most laughed at Corps of the Military from what I can understand.

We stayed in the house for a few more hours before Aunt Maria arrived. She was dressed in pants with a coat upon her body. Looking at her, I can instantly understand that she was my mother's sister. She didn't have the same black hair as my mother but the golden eyes were the exact same shade as my own mother. She was shorter than her but there was something in those golden eyes that was different than my mother's.

"Rose," she greeted, her tone warm as the shadow that was in her eyes lessened considerably.

My mother approached toward her and took her into a hug one which she returned gently. The two then stepped away from the hug talking softly to each other before my mother gently kissed her sister's cheek and they walked inside the house and instantly, Maria's eyes found my own.

"Sarah," she said, recognition within her eyes, "It's great seeing you again."

I approached her and give her a gentle hug like my mother has. Her voice sounded familiar and even seeing her face had awaken some long-lost memory from my mind. I know that I haven't seen her in a while but this woman was family. That much, I understood. Her hands were soft against my form as she held me for a few moments before letting go.

She was looking down at me with a small smile upon her lips.

"You have the same eyes as my mother," she said looking down at me.

"Thank you," I answered giving a small smile back.

She looked up toward my mother and smiled at her again.

"Rose," she said, "There is something that I wanted to talk to you about in private."

My mom nodded.

"Of course," she said, "Sarah, why don't you go outside and practice your flute?"

"What?" I said, not keeping the annoyance from my tone.

"It will be for just a few moments," she said.

Letting out a small annoyed sigh, I did as she asked and stepped out of the house and into the small courtyard that was outside of the house. There was a small fence that separated from the road which was filled with people going on about their lives. It was already afternoon from what I can see and I took a seat upon the one of the chair and pulled out my flute.

I didn't want to play but my mother seems to want to talk to Aunty Maria by herself. I don't remember much about her but the few memories I have of her had been of a kind woman who seems to care deeply for me. It makes me wonder exactly why she never visited us before. Maybe she couldn't afford it, or maybe it was like my mother said.

That she was too busy to do so but it seems she always come to my birthday party…

I lifted the flute toward my lips and was about to play when a sudden explosion shook the world around me. It was a loud boom completely taken aback by what had happened. I glanced around myself for a few moments and noticed that many of the citizens were pointing at the direction of the wall so I glanced at the direction as well.

 _Like everyone I was completely frozen in shock at the sight that I was seeing. When I first heard of the loud explosion noises, I had believed that it must have been a canon or something that had happened with the Garrison soldiers that were in the city, however, nothing in my life could have prepared me for the sight of the giant skinless hand that was on top of the Wall._

 _I can feel my hands going slack, tightening my grip upon the instrument that was within my fingers, heart palpitating as I stared at the sight of the hand…unable to believe what I was seeing, the fear rising within my body at the sight, but in the back of my mind i knew what i was seeing, the old horror that we were always reminded of when we see the large Walls._

 _Titan._

 _It_ was _a Titan…it's large head slowly appearing from above the top of the Wall, covered in smoke as well as it stood there, a large skinless face staring down at the city of Shingashina…_

It was a Titan.

I had heard people talk about Titans before, at how terrifying they were and, in that moment, all of those horror stories came to the forefront of my mind. I as looking at the monsters who had pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. My entire body was completely frozen unable to think or move at all my eyes completely fixed upon the Titan whose head was above the Wall looking straight down at us.

Then, another massive explosion echoed again from the direction of the Gate of Shingashina as a large wave of dust as well as strong wind blew everywhere and even from where I was standing, the force of the wind pushed me backward and on the ground upon my back, the flute flying out of my hand as I fell down.

I stayed there for a few moments, my limbs frozen in shock at what was happening around me. Numerous booms echoed all around me with screams as well the ground shaking from the force of the landing debris. I pulled myself up to my feet and caught sight of something that was coming down straight toward where I was seating down.

My eyes was wide with terror as I realized that it was a large boulder and that it was coming down straight toward where I am, completely frozen.

Then someone screamed my name and I was suddenly yanked backward through the air and I was flying for a few moment and I saw my mother's face, her eyes wide and golden fixed upon my own before a wave of dust completely covered everything as a massive explosion took place right in front of me. The screams became even louder now, rising from seemingly everywhere as I landed down upon the ground, snapped out of my stupor and shock. I instantly seated up.

"MOM," I yelled looking at the direction she was in.

But in front of me was a large boulder twice my side. The ground around it was cracked as it was only a few feet away from where I was on the ground. Beneath the boulder, however, was a splat of red that was spread everywhere. I stared at the red on the ground…unable to believe what was happening…There was no way that mother just died like that…

There was no way that she would simply…

"Mom…," I gasped raising a trembling hand toward the direction of the rock.

Then someone picked me up by the waist.

"Sarah, _let's go_."

It was Aunt Maria, who simply picked me up like I weighted nothing at all and started to run away, leaving the large boulder behind…

Leaving mom behind…

"No, we can't leave mom," I said struggling from the grip around me, " _We can't just leave her like that…_ "

"It's too late for your mother," Maria said still running alongside Kyle who was beside her, a weight in her voice, "We need to go now if you want to survive."

" _NO, I WON'T LEAVE HER LIKE THIS_ ," I screamed, tears falling from my eyes, "I _WON'T LEAVE HER_."

But Maria continued to run, ignoring my screams as we left everything behind to the Titans invading inside the city, their tall forms towering over the houses along with the echoing screams of terror.

* * *

 **So ends the first chapter of the rewrite. I hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Cruel Cage

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	2. Cruel Cage

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah looking up toward the empty blue sky as she was seating beneath a tree with the Wall visible in the distance.

Chapter Two

A Cruel Cage

 **NO POV**

 **Mitras**

 **Capital of Sina**

It was two days since the fall of Wall Maria.

Two days since mankind was forced to retreat behind Wall Rose abandoning everything behind. The news has spread like wildfire and everyone knew that the worst of nightmares had happened. They have been a flood of refugees fleeing to Wall Rose these past few days and more were arriving by the hour from the rumor mills in the Capital. A man was standing at the window looking out toward it with both of his hand behind his back. He was dressed in a fancy suit upon his body his face frowning lightly as he was staring out toward the city in front of him, his brown hair falling upon his shoulder.

It was a nice day today, with little to no clouds visible as he was staring out. In the room behind him was a fancy looking room with chandelier on he ceiling and ornate chairs and a woman was seating there seeping upon a cup in his hand.

"Brother are you not worried at all about your wife and daughter?" she asked, "They said that a bunch of refugees were placed somewhere in Wall Rose. You could have gone and see if they made it."

The man turned toward her.

"I'm rather glad that this happened," he said, "That way, father won't have any qualm about me marrying someone else Charlotte. I never understood why he pushed so hard for me to marry into the Gray family."

Charlotte let out a small hum.

"Father was friend with Rose's father if I remember correctly," she said, "It could have been a way for two friends to bound their family together by something stronger than blood. The Gray family is ancient, but quite secretive. Maybe they had a fortune somewhere that dear old dad wanted to get his hands on."

The man let out a snort.

"Whatever," he said, "I hated that woman and that girl…their eyes were always so damn creepy."

Charlotte laughed.

"You feared your own wife?" she said, "That's rich."

The man gives her a look.

"You were creeped out by them too," he said.

"When I first met them sure," Charlotte said, with a shrug of her shoulders, "But I got over it quickly enough. At least you don't have to hide the women you're fucking with as business trips anymore."

The man looked at her surprised.

"You told Rosa that you had a meeting with my husband about something when I know for a fact that Wayne was visiting his mother in Trost back then…you should really make better lies little brother."

With that Charlotte stood up from where she was seating, having finished her tea. The young woman let out a soft hum as she glanced at him, her brown eyes piercing his own.

"If you really are going to turn your back on these two," she continued, "maybe father will have the chance to believe you with what had happened."

Then the young woman walked out of the room leaving the man standing by himself in the room. However, he simply turned his gaze back at looking at the sky in front of him both his hands behind his back.

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

* * *

I was barely aware of what was going on around me.

I was in shock having lost my mother like that, and about everything that had happened on that terrible day in Shingashina. There was nothing going on inside my mind except always seeing that same boulder with the splat of red that was beneath it. I couldn't help the horrifying feeling coursing through me my mother was completely crushed risked her life so that I could live.

Maria and Kyle had both ran away leaving behind the Titans which had been trailing inside the city. It was the first time I had ever seen Titans before and they were grotesque mockery of human beings with their dead eyes and bloated figures. The screams of that day haunted my nightmares and I would wake up in the middle of the night completely terrified out of my mind, but Maria would always be there to reassure me, gently whispering in my ears to calm me down.

I would fall asleep in her arms as she softly sung to me, and it was a familiar lullaby. It was one my mother always sung to me whenever she wanted to put me to sleep and it calmed me more than I dare to hope. However, hearing that songs always bring up memories of her and I will cry myself to sleep.

Which led me to now.

When Wall Maria had fallen, some of the fields were transformed to area for the refugees that fled from the Titans and that was where I was staying along with Maria and Kyle. This morning, however, things were quite quiet as many of the refugees were simply loitering around. It was quite cold this morning, so I pulled the long-sleeved shirt I had upon my body. My dress had gotten damaged from what had happened so Kyle had gotten me some clothing.

They were boy's clothing, but it was the best he could get considering that they didn't have much to begin with, after everything that happened. I wasn't complaining but the chilling air of the morning was signaling that the season were going to change soon to Winter. I glanced around for a few moments before my eyes finding the people I was searching for.

Maria and Kyle.

The duo was seating together talking, thought they weren't eating. Thinking about food, it causes me to think of how hungry I was. With how many refugees that they had from the fall of Wall Maria, there wasn't enough food for everyone and all that I had to eat these past few days were a bread and some fruits that they have been passing around. Noticing my approach, Kyle stopped talking and give me a small smile. Maria turned as well, her golden eyes finding me instantly.

"Hey, Sarah," she said, "here take a seat."

She placed me on the small stool that was beside her and I looked up at them. The woman looked tired like she wasn't getting enough sleep and oddly enough her skin was pale as well.

"What are you doing up?" she asked.

"I couldn't sleep," I answered, "What's going on?"

Maria looked out toward the expended lands that was in front of us.

"There isn't enough food for everyone," she said, "A shortage people are calling it."

"My father didn't come?"

Maria glanced down at me and there was a searching look in her eyes.

"I could take you home," she said, "If that's what you wish."

I stayed silent for a few moments. I don't think I could go back home without my mother. My father had always been odd to me, with the strange looks he gave me sometimes but he never actually said anything to me. I wanted to go back to him but going back to that house without my mother, it felt wrong.

It felt unwelcoming at best.

"No…it's okay," I told her, "I don't want to go back home yet."

There was something in those eyes.

"How was your life back there?" she asked, "I never managed to visit…"

I stayed silent for a moment thinking back to my life before all of this had happened.

"It was…okay," I said with a light shrug, "Dad never really spent time at home since he was always away on business. I mostly spent my time with my mother and... she was the one who wanted me to play an instrument and I chose the flute…"

Maria seems to smile at that.

"I'd love to hear you play," she said.

I smiled a little at that.

"I don't have a flute anymore," I told her, "I dropped it when I saw…"

The image of the skinless face of the Titan staring down from a top of a Wall flashed within my mind causing me to tremble yet again. I could feel the same fear growing within my heart at the sight of the terrible features that were now forever burned in my mind. I don't think I will ever be able to forget about it.

"Sarah," a soft voice spoke to me drawing my eyes.

Maria was looking down at me. Despite how pale she was, there was concern within those golden eyes of hers.

"Come back," she said, "To here not the past."

I give her a slight nod.

"I'm sorry," I told her, "I just…I don't think I can ever forget what I saw…that Titan looking down on us…the destruction that followed…the screams that were growing everywhere…"

"Hey, it's okay," Maria said, "It's okay to be scared, but the Titans can't hurt you anymore."

She had taken me in her arms and was gently rubbing my back as the fear I had about the Titan grew.

"Are we safe?" I asked her.

Maria let out a soft sigh.

"For now, we are safe."

It was in that moment I realized the difference between my mother and her sister. If I had asked my mother that question, she would have done everything in her power to reassure me that no Titans will ever hurt us again. She would have said that we were safe from danger.

Maria's answer gave me a clarity that I lacked. Unlike before, I was no longer the same girl that was in that carriage some days ago riding to Shingashina with my mother. I had seen the world for what it really was with nothing shielding my eyes. I saw the cruelty of the world and I survived it. I have seen the darkness and yet, I am still alive.

Maria was someone who had always seen the world for what it really was. She understood how the world works and somehow, that give me the reassurance that I was seeking and made me feel safer than I ever thought possible.

Days passed into weeks and weeks turned into months. With the food shortage, many people including myself and Kyle along with Maria were sent to work on the fields to grow some food. For many days we worked in the cold as snow fell, working to have food for everyone. The shortage was become more and more apparent as the days passed and they were people stealing foods and even some committing suicide because of how hard things have gotten.

In those time, I sometimes will wish for my father to come and search for me. I will find myself looking out toward the horizon at the direction of where Wall Sina was located somehow wishing that he would appear and save me from this, but he never did. It makes wonder if he believed that I had perished along with my mother during the fall of the Wall.

There were times that Maria would be gone for days as well, leaving me and Kyle by ourselves. I would get curious about where she had gone off to, but Kyle never seems to be worried about it. He told me that it was something that Maria did often back in Shingashina.

"She never told you where she is gone?" I asked him one night.

Kyle let out a small chuckle.

"Not really," he said, "I trust her to always come back."

It was a strange relationship to be sure, but I never saw them argue against each other and if they trusted each other, then I will have to trust Maria as well. However, when Maria return, she would be exhausted and slightly feverish. Kyle would take care of her during those times and I would be worried for her too seeing just how pale she can get. Her hair seems to just as pale as her something I noticed when it would catch the light of the sun and almost seems to shine like snow. I don't think I'd ever seen someone hair like that before.

"You're looking again."

I blinked snapping my eyes back toward Maria. It was the rare moment that we were alone together without Kyle. The woman came to stand beside me, her golden eyes meeting my own before I broke the gaze turning my attention toward the direction of Sina.

"Is it wrong to hope he will come?" I asked her.

A soft chuckle came from Maria.

"No…it's not wrong at all," she said.

I let out a small sigh looking down at the grass. It's something I subconsciously do now, looking out toward where the city was situated. I didn't know why I was waiting for him, but some part of me still yearned for him despite it had been months since the Fall of Wall Maria…

Despite it being months…he never even come to look for me.

It's like he didn't even try to look for me.

"It makes me wonder if he ever loved me," I said softly, "He always used to look at me with strange eyes back then…but, even so, I am his daughter…. shouldn't he care for me?"

Maria let out a soft hum, "I won't bother to try to understand him. I never gotten why father wanted Rose to marry him in the first place."

I looked at her, noticing the look upon her face. It was like she was lost in thoughts for a few moments.

"Can you tell me about my mother's side of the family?" I asked her.

Maria glanced down at me, surprised.

"Rose never talked about us?"

"The only person my mother ever mentioned was Markus, my uncle," I told her, "That's only because he joined the Survey Corps."

Maria chuckled softly, "Yeah, Markus did that didn't he…Well, there is not many of us left anymore. You and I are the only two remaining of my family. Your grandfather died years ago when I was about twenty-five I'd reckon. At the time, Rose was engaged to your father by then and Markus, our brother was part of the Scouts…. but he died years later."

I thought about it for a few moments.

"Did Markus tell you why he joined the Scouts?"

Maria chuckled.

"He did," she said, "He told me that he didn't want to die in a cage."

I glanced at her, confused.

"What?"

Maria let out a small sigh.

"These Walls that protect us from the Titans," she said, her voice taking a darker tone, "They may have given us a hundred years of peace but with what the Colossal did five months ago, it had started to place doubt in the back of people's mind that the Walls are not as infallible as they believed. The Walls have kept us safe, but it's also a cage to keep us trapped behind them like cattle to the slaughter."

I stared at her, shocked at what she was saying. Maria seems to realize what she was saying for she shook her head.

"Sorry," she said, "I'm just babbling right now."

I stared down toward the ground in front of me.

 _A cage…_

The memory of the birds flying over the wall came back to me at this moment. I didn't know why but somehow, the sight of those birds were the first thing that came to my mind. I also remember the sight of the Titan looking over the Wall down at Shingashina…

Down at us…

Like were nothing but _cattle…_

If only the Titans didn't exist…

Then mom would still be alive with me…and she wouldn't have died trying to save me…

If it wasn't for those Titans…

 _The large skinless face staring down from the top of the Wall…_

Something poured through my veins in that moment, something that caused me to shake and tears started to fall from my eyes as I sat there.

"I hate them," I said my voice shaking with the powerful emotions that were burning within me, "I _hate them all."_

I tightened my hand into fists.

"I wish they would all disappear from the world."

In that moment, something had awoken inside me. A feeling of complete hatred burning within my heart at the monster who had taken my mother away from me. Maria stayed silent for a long while after that declaration…

"You wish to fight?" she asked suddenly.

I glanced toward the woman beside me. Maria was looking down at me, her golden eyes seemingly filled with some strange emotions behind them. They seem to almost glow in the low light of the late afternoon sun. It was cloudy day.

"In this world, if you want something Sarah," she continued, "You have to fight with all your heart to get to it. This world we lived in, it's going to want to burry you with cruelty and despair, but you have to crawl out with all your might, but even then, you might not gain it."

Maria let out a small chuckle.

"Wishing for it," she continued, "Is not going to get you anywhere. All you can do is stand up on your own two feet and fight because that's the only way you survive."

"Then how do I fight?" I asked her.

She looked down toward me.

"If you can't figure that one out," she said, her voice taking a tone of finality, "Then you won't survive."

* * *

 **The reality of the world...open Sarah's eyes...**

 **Next Time:** Ties of Blood

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	3. Ties of Blood

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. thanks for the reviews and favorites and stuff.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah holding a syringe in her hand with Maria seating across her as the two were in a shed.

Chapter Three

Ties of Blood

Our work amounted to nothing.

The ground that we have worked over for the past months have wielded nothing. It was a discouraging feeling tainted with despair that had befallen the refugee as the food shortage become even more prominent and going to bed hungry had become something that is familiar to me. I had lost some weight with how hard had worked these past months on the field with Kyle and Maria. While we didn't have much to live on and every day was a struggle as food became a scare feeling. While we had some to eat, it was never enough to fill us up.

During those times my hands which the first time I had worked the fields had become filled with blisters, were not hardened from all the work I have been doing. I had gained some muscle as well, something that I didn't have previously thought I had also lost some weight during the work I was doing.

However, during those hard times, I found myself understanding Maria a little better. There was something about the entire situation that showed me a side of the world that I never knew existed. A harsher and more unforgiving world that will test your very will to survive. I didn't look at the horizon for my father any longer, focusing wholly upon surviving this ordeal completely. I knew something had changed within me, my heart burning with hatred for what the Titans had done to me personally.

The Titan who destroyed Wall Maria, the Colossal Titan I heard they are calling it, was the one responsible for everything that had happened and there was talk of another Titan who had rushed the inner Gate and had destroyed it as well. These two Titans were the ones responsible for the fall of Wall Maria and I personally hated them both.

 _If only they didn't exist…_

It was a thought that I found myself thinking a lot whenever I thought about my mother. If the Titans didn't exist in this world, then we wouldn't need these Walls to protect us.

 _Our Cage…_

I couldn't help but feel angry at the world that I was born in. However, I was still nothing but a kid and there was nothing I could do about the situation. All I could do for now was working the field with Kyle and Maria. She still does her disappearing acts for days on end, but I learned to live with it. I was still curious as to what she was doing whenever she disappeared like that, but Kyle was never worried at all despite it all and how frequently she did it.

I could feel it in my bones that they were hiding something. If anyone lived with them long enough, they could see it that there was something that they were hiding but what could it be I didn't have the faintest clue as to what it was. I wanted to ask her, but…at the same time, it makes me wonder exactly why as she is doing something like that…why she was leaving for many days and coming back completely exhausted every time.

She wasn't doing extra work for she never returned with any type of food. She never returned with money either so what she was doing was something that didn't require payment nor food. With the shortage going on, I doubt they were other place where she could find more food…

Even so, what was she doing?

These questions plagued me for many weeks thought one of these days, my attention was pulled away from my mysterious aunt toward an announcement that had been sent out. It had been a normal day like any others when soldiers come into the area we were staying in about a large-scale mission that was going to be set under way.

They called it the Wall Maria Recovery Operation.

They were recruiting people to join in the large-scale mission. There was something off about the entire situation to me, a feeling in my gut that was twisting like a snake. While it was a good idea in the long run but, how were they going to fight against the Titans that were out there. The Garrison couldn't fight them at all and even the Survey Corps, the people who go outside of the Walls to fight Titans came back with nothing but failures in their missions. So, if people who were trained to fight Titans couldn't win…how do they think civilians who never seen a Titan their entire life would fare against them?

"You're a smart girl," Maria told me with an empty look in her eyes, when I came to her with my thoughts, "I'm sure you can figure it out."

Figured it out I did, and I couldn't help but feel nothing bur horror at it. They weren't sending these people to fight Titans because they believed they could win.

They were sending them out there to die.

* * *

"You're not really thinking about joining them do you?"

The voice was what woke me from sleep. I could feel the cover upon my body something I don't remember having upon me so probably Kyle or Maria had placed it upon my body. I blinked glancing around for few moments noticing just how dark it was. The voices that were talking were Kyle and Maria and they seems to be in an argument about something.

"There is no point in joining them," Maria answered, "You and I both know that this is a suicide mission. The Royal Government wanted nothing more to send the refugees of Wall Maria back to the Titans."

Kyle let out a small sigh.

"With everything that you have been doing during those runs of yours," he said, "Sarah is starting to get suspicious about you. She knows we're hiding something."

"I know," Maria answered, "She is much like Rose like that. Too curious for her own good."

Then she started to cough.

"Hey you're okay?" Kyle asked her.

"It's taking it's toll upon my body," Maria said, "Other than that…I'm fine."

Kyle stayed silent for a moment.

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

Maria never answered.

* * *

As many as expected, The Wall Maria Recovery Mission was a failure. More than 250,000 people went out to Titan territory to reclaim the lands that we have lost, less than 200 made it back. While the recovery mission did nothing to push back the Titan offensive, their death had lessened the famine in the region enough that no one will go to sleep hungry.

I felt a strange melancholic feeling within my chest at the thought of how many people had died but more ever I felt angry at the Titans who caused this entire mess in the first place. The Colossal and the Armored Titan who broke through Wall Maria.

"Sarah,"

I turned my gaze toward Maria.

The woman was standing there and dressed in her traveling clothing. She had her hair falling upon her shoulders and a small smile upon her face.

"Come with me," she said, "There is something that I need to speak with you about."

I nodded at her.

Maria had been absent as usual these past few days and I didn't think that she would have returned right now. However, she sounded serious and I was curious as to why she wanted to. There was something about her that had changed, and her skin was still as pale as ever. It always looks like she was sick or something. Back when I met her in Shingashina, she didn't look as pale as she did now, and it made me worry for her a little bit.

"Have you given any thoughts about what I told you before?" she asked as we walked together, "About this world we live in?"

I frowned slightly at what she was saying, remembering that conversation we had so long ago.

"I have," I answered, "With everything that had happened, I still hate the Titans for taking my mother from me, that hasn't changed at all. However, with the failure of the Wall Maria recovery operation…it makes me hate this world even more. I hate that I was born into a world that is so merciless, but strangely enough, I feel the need to see more of it."

Maria let out a soft hum.

"You wish to go beyond the Walls?" she asked.

"I know it's impossible," I told her, "But there is something that I do understand however. If we don't fight back, then the next time the Colossal shows up again…could be fatal to humanity."

Maria stayed silent for a long moment.

"You know…you sound like Markus," she said, "he always said that he wanted to see what's on the other side of the Walls. The lands that our ancestors fled from long ago when the Titans came for them. Sarah, I know that you've been curious about what I have been doing so far, whenever I leave the camps we're staying in."

I looked at her.

"You're going to tell me about it?" I asked her, surprised.

Maria glanced back at me, her golden eyes almost seems weary.

"Is there something that you want to hear?" she asked.

I stayed silent for a moment.

"Mom never talked about her family with me…and the way my dad acted around us…And why he never bothered to come looking for me. I feel like there is something that I don't know about and I was wondering if it had something to do with you disappearing for days on ends."

Maria turned her attention forward again as we continued to walk.

"It will take us sometimes," she said, "But we need to leave this place behind if we are to talk openly."

"Okay," I said.

Maria smiled at me briefly before turning forward again.

We traveled together for an entire day making our way through the path outside of the camp we have been staying in and into the woods that made the territory of Wall Rose. It was quite a bit of a walk to tell you the truth, but I was excited and curious. It had been the mystery that had been plaguing me for an entire year now since the fall of the Wall. There was nothing about the entire situation that was dangerous from how Maria was, you would think that she had done this hundred of times before which if you think about it, she probably has considering how long she was gone.

The woman then came to a stop suddenly before glancing to the side almost like she was counting to herself before turning toward the left. She continued through there and it was then it was revealed to us. It was a small shed, that looked completely rundown and I was curious about what it was.

"What is this place?" I asked her.

"After the Fall of Wall Maria," she told me, "I had to relocate all of my things. They used to be in the forest surrounding Shingashina, but now, I leave them here…Close enough so that it won't take me long to reach the Wall."

I glanced at her confused.

"The Wall?" I asked, "Why would you want to go there?"

Maria didn't say anything for she walked toward the shed and pulled out a small knife from her clothing. The woman used the knife to unlock the door before stepping inside. I followed her. The floor was made from stone and they were few barrels filled with garden tools and other stuffs. It looked like it was a gardener shed more than anything and from the smell, hasn't been used in years.

"This place is a dump," I said looking around, coughing lightly from the dusty air.

"I know," Maria said, "With these abandoned tools and stuff, no one would ever think twice about looking inside for valuables."

She approached toward the middle of the room and moved one of the barrels revealing part of the ground and she kneeled down toward it. I approached toward what she was doing as she used her knife to stab into the small opening in the concrete and to my shock, she pulled the small slab of stone free from where it was lying down.

"What the…?"

"Our family was once very wealthy," Maria told me, as she worked to move the stone, "We were nobles like your father's family but there was something about us that made the Royal Government fear us."

I stared at her.

"What was that?"

"We weren't controllable like the rest," Maria said looking up toward me with her golden eyes, "We weren't the only ones like this either. There was another family, the Ackermans who were similar to us but I heard that the line had died out a few years back…thought, I still believe that they are some that are still alive…too few to pose a threat to the royal Government. Anyway, because we couldn't be controlled, the Government wanted all of us silenced."

I feel shock coursing through me.

"What?"

Maria let out a small smile.

"They killed many of our family," she continued, "So we had to change our name, to hide our identity and with a few friends in the noble families, we managed to do so. In the time of hiding however, My father and your grandfather from your father's side, became close friends…it's probably why he pushed for Rose to marry your father when he could, probably as thanks for having saved us."

She then pulled out a small black bag from the whole beneath the concrete.

"But there was one secret that our family never revealed to the world," Maria told her, "A secret that had been passed down in our bloodlines for centuries. With Markus in the Surveys Corps and Rose married to your father, that secret had passed down to me to carry."

I stared at her, feeling my heart hammering in my chest. What type of secrets did our family had?

She opened the bag and pulled out a small case which she opened. Inside was a small bottle filled with a white liquid. There was something written upon it along with a syringe. Maria placed it upon the ground in front of me and I stared down at it.

"This is a version of a substance called Titan serum," she said, gravely, "This serum gives humans the ability to become Titans."

I stared at the liquid completely taken aback. Shock was running through my body as I stared down at the case that was in her hand before looking up toward Maria. There was a weight behind her golden eyes that she didn't have before, a weight that felt almost just a crushing as I felt when I saw the skinless Colossal Titan's face from the top of the Wall.

"You know as well as I do that the Royal Government has forbidden all knowledge of the outside world," Maria told me, "They would like us to believe that there is nothing else out there but Titans, however, the echoes of our ancestors speak loudly…thought their voices are still hard to understand despite how many years it had been since I have been carrying this power within me."

"Wait…what are you even thinking about?" I asked her, "How can something like that be even possible? Humans turning into Titans…that ludicrous."

Maria laughed lightly closing the case.

"I can see how it is difficult to believe," she said, "However, I have suspicions about the two Titans who destroyed Wall Maria. I have been outside the Walls many times before and while the Titans are dangerous, they never displayed any type of intelligence shown by the Colossal or the Armored…these two Titans appeared and they destroyed the Wall and disappeared just as quickly…"

She seems to frown at that.

"I don't have proof," she said, "I have been doing investigating about it but so far they have been nothing at all. But with how everyone talks about the Titans, and with the knowledge that I have of our family history, I am more inclined to believe that they are humans like me. People who have the ability to change into Titans."

I stayed still, listening to what Maria was saying to me. It was impossible, all that she was saying. Titans were nothing but monsters who wanted to exterminate humanity. All the books I have ever read about say the same thing. There was nothing else out there other than Titans that wanted to destroy and eat us…

However, the image of the Colossal Titan appeared within my mind again staring down at us from the top of the Wall…

 _Cattle…Cage….Fight to survive…_

The world was no longer what I thought it was. My entire world changed because of what happened in Shingashina. It made me realized how trapped we were in these walls. Markus joined the Surveys Corps because he wanted to see what's beyond the walls…

The image of the birds flying over the Wall flashed within my mind again and it was in that moment that I realized why this image always struck a cord with me despite how long ago I have seen it. The same image I always see in my mind…

It was the thought of being free from the Walls, free to go outside the walls and see the world for what it really was, not what the books said. Despite they were Titans out there, that feeling never goes away for a lot of people.

Markus had realized how he was feeling when he joined the Scouts. That realization made me tighten my hands into fists.

"But why are you telling me all of this?" I asked her.

Maria let out a small sigh.

"I'm dying Sarah," she told me.

My eyes widened at her.

"I'm losing color in my body and I can barely feel my toes anymore," she said, "Every time I transform, I become weaker. My body is dying. I was going to have your mother become the next Vessel, but Shingashina happened and she died saving you. You have the blood of our family in your veins Sarah, maybe you can carry it in my stead. I don't want our family's legacy…the centuries we have survived be for nothing."

"Carry…our family legacy?" I whispered shocked, "You want…to make me into a Titan? Into the same monsters that killed my mother…How can you ask me to do this? How can you think of asking me…"

Maria placed both of her hands upon my shoulders.

"I am asking you because we are tied by blood," she said, "There is no else I will trust more than family. Kyle wanted this power as well but it will kill him because he doesn't have our blood. Our bloodline is something that the people of Royal Government had wanted to destroy completely. I know I am asking you for a lot of things but…unlike me who is at the end of my rope, you can fight back. You can harness this power and make it your own…You can fight for the freedom Markus died for."

 _Fight to survive…_

"I…," I started for a few moment, before the resolve tightened itself, "I will fight… I will find the people who destroyed Wall Maria and I will make them pay for killing my mother."

Maria had a small smile upon her lips as she looked at me. She then turned her attention toward the case in her hand pulling out the vial as well as the syringe. She placed it in her arm and drew out her own blood. She then dropped it into the vial and in front of my eyes, I saw the blood merging with the white liquid that was within it almost as if they were joining together until all that remained within the vial was a strange grayish liquid within it.

She pulled out another smaller syringe and got all of the rest of the liquid within it.

"It might feel strange at first," Maria said, "But when I die…the ability should transfer to you because of this injection. I'm glad that we developed this way rather than the alternative."

She came to stand beside me and stabbed the needle into my nape. I can feel my eyes widening at the pain and I grit my teeth not wanting to do anything else at all. When she was done she pulled the needle out from where she was and then there was silence.

The next seconds, strange images started to appear within my mind.

There was the image of a mountain covered in snow…There was the sign of a woman crouched in front of something as she was dressed in a white robe…There was nine figures around the woman like they were kneeling to her…before she turned her eyes toward me almost like I was there as well…

Then the world turned dark.

* * *

 **A strange power...and now Sarah is the next carrier.**

 **Next Time:** The 104th Cadet Corps.

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**

 **AN: Yes, Sarah become the inheritor of her family's greatest secret thought what it is she doesn't know yet. It will be the same idea from the original with where this power came from will be slowly revealed over the story thought the only difference will be that it will tied directly to Ymir and the Royal bloodline meaning that Marley is aware of it's existence unlike the original which was more of a myth that not many people believed exist.**

 **But if you have any questions, just PM me and i'll try to answer without spoiling things to come XD.**


	4. The 104th Cadet Corps

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read so far and now, here is the new update for this fanfic so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah dressed in her Cadet uniform as she stood in salute.

Chapter Four

The 104th Cadet Corps

I stood there with the rest of the Cadets under the hot blazing sun as we were all place there to meet with our instructor. I was wearing a simple blue shirt underneath the military vest that was upon me. I had grown up a few since the days I had spent working on the fields before making the decision of signing up to join the military.

It had been some time since that day Maria had given me the power. I still remember it quite clearly when she had plunged the needle in the back of my neck to give me the power she has to give me. At first had hadn't understood anything at all other than the quick images that I had gotten in my head, there was nothing that changed at all, but Maria had been confident that I will inherit the power that she has within her.

She had died only earlier this year and when she had done so, it was when I made the decision to join the military. I had something in my mind that if the Colossal or the Armored Titan were going to attack again, the military will be the first on the front lines. These two were my targets in this whole endeavor I decided to go on about it and the only way to fight Titans were with the ODM gears that the military possess, hence, joining the military.

I was in the sixth row of cadets, looking out in front at the row of instructors which were standing right in front of us. Then one of them walked forward with both of his hands behind his back. He was a tall man, skin darkened lightly but was bald thought that didn't stop him from having one of the most terrifying face I have ever seen in my life.

"Straighten up those spine pissheads," he yelled out his voice carrying across the silence around us, "The 104th Cadet boot camps starts now. My name is Commandant Keith Shadis and you will grow to hate me. Training is going to be a white knuckle right to hell and if I have done my job, you will wake up in cold sweat with the memories of this place for the rest of your miserable lives. Right now, you're nothing but livestock but over the course of the next three soul crushing years, you'll learn to take down your own Goliath. Remember when you come face to face with them cause here you'll ask yourself? AM I a Fighter or am I a fiend?"

I swallowed lightly from that but I didn't allow my nervousness to show upon my face. I let out a soft breath as Shadis was moving from row to row yelling at the recruits that he came to stand in front of demoralizing them completely thought none of them were as funny or horrified as a girl by the name of Sasha Braus, a girl from a mountain village who was eating a potato in the in broad view of Shadis, something that gained her a scolding from the instructor before he moved on something else.

"AND WHAT ABOUT YOU BOY?" Shadis yelled, coming to stand right in front of a tall young man.

"Reiner Braun sir," the young man spoke out in a strong voice.

"AND WHY ARE YOU HERE CADET?"

"I'm here to save humanity," Reiner answered and I was rather surprised at how calm he was. Anyone else would have been pissing their pants with how Shadis was glaring at him.

"Is that so?" Shadis frowned, "Humanity couldn't give a rat ass about you saving it. You'd make a better pathetic mess at weed pulling than saving humanity."

He then moved down the line aiming straight toward where I stood so I quickly turned my head to face forward, hearing the footsteps approaching toward where I stood until his body blocked my vision of the cadet that was in front of me. I instinctively looked up toward him and found those two eyes glaring down toward me.

" _You're waiting for an invitation?"_ Shadis yelled, "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?"

I saluted.

"Sarah Gray sir," I instantly answered.

"And what is a pathetic lifeform like you doing here Cadet?" Shadis yelled.

"I'm here to learn to kill Titans and join the Surveys Corps sir," I answered.

Shadis seems surprised for a brief second if the flash that happened in his eyes at my answer before it completely disappeared from his face.

"Then I'm sure you'll make a great Titan fodder," he said, "About face Gray."

With that he moved on, leaving me behind as I did as he asked. I let out a small sigh as Shadis's attention was once again focused upon someone else. There was nothing else to be said in this situation. I had my goal right in front of me.

Nothing else mattered.

* * *

Later after we were all dismissed I made my way toward the direction of the place I would be staying in for the next three years. The room was large filled with beds as many other girls were already inside talking to each other. I moved past everyone until I reached the bunk that was mine. Earlier today, they had us place our stuff in the room before going out in the field for the introduction ceremony meaning, Shadis yelling at us for the next few hours as we were getting ready for boot camp.

I reached my bed and pulled the few clothes that I had with me before removing the military clothing I had upon my body and replacing it for something more casual. I pulled out another case from my things and opened it revealing the flute that was inside. It was a small gift from Maria before she died. She had given it to me on my birthday when I became thirteen years old. That was a year ago now, the same year that she had gifted me with the pride of our Ancestors.

"You're Sarah, right?"

The voice drew my attention and I turned toward who had addressed me. It was a blonde girl, with wide brown eyes. She was still wearing her military uniform but there was a light worried look upon her features as she was looking at me.

"Yes, and who are you?"

"Oh…my mistake," she said with a slight shrug, "I'm Narissa Phel."

I closed the flute case before standing up facing the young woman.

"Nice to meet you Narissa," I told her with a light smile.

The girl returned it, and I could see some relief pouring through her. It was almost like she was nervous, or something thought I couldn't really figure out why she would be nervous. It was just us girls in this dorm and there were no instructors around now that we have been given the rest of the day off, thought not all of us were so lucky after all, that Sasha girl was still running last, I check.

"Nice to meet you too," the blonde laughed lightly, "How are things going for you by the way. I mean, my heart is still hammering from Shadis's introduction."

I let out a small hum.

"I am okay," I answered her with a light shrug.

"A…Are you really planning to join the Scouts?" she asked.

I nodded.

"But…aren't you scared of the Titans?" she asked, "With what happened in Wall Maria and how many people died in the recovery operation…"

I stood up. I was about the same height as Narissa.

"It is my choice," I told her, "Even so, it's still three years away till our graduation."

Narissa nodded.

"That's true," she smiled.

"How about you?" I asked her, "Did you have a goal in mind?"

"I wanted to join the Military Police," Narissa answered for me, "However, I wouldn't mind the Garrison, since my father was part of it."

I blinked at her.

"Your father was part of the Garrison?"

Narissa nodded.

"He retired sometimes ago" she told me as the two of us made our way out of the building, "He wasn't thrilled when I told him that I was signing up for the Cadet this year, but growing up with a father that was military, I guess it grows on you."

I let out a small shrug but didn't say anything at all as we continued to walk through the large courtyard. They were many people around the place thought some of them were still wearing their Cadet uniform. The sun was starting to set thought, as the orange like glow was everywhere around us. Tomorrow we were going to start the training at mastering the gear that was vital against the Titans.

The Omni-direction mobility gear or ODM for abbreviation purposes.

"Narissa," I said drawing the girls' attention toward me, "You said that your dad was once a soldier, right? Did he ever told you anything about when we will be trained with the ODM gear?"

The girl seems to think about it.

"Not really," she said, "But considering how important it is to our training, it might be the first thing they have us to master, after all, knowing how to use it is basic to become a soldier."

I let out a small nod as we both made our way toward the direction of the mess hall. They were a few people standing around at the entrance of the building. A couple of boys and one girl. One of the boy, I recognized as Connie Springer, the one that Shadis had managed to lift up with both of his hands during the introduction earlier today along with a dark haired young man who had freckles upon his face. The girl was simply leaning into the wall behind her, her hair tied into two ponytail, one on each of her shoulder and she had a kind face as well.

The two other boys stood side by side as they were looking out toward the empty field where Sasha was still running on thought she looked more like she was completely tired.

"She is still running," Narissa noticed, "If I was her I would have collapsed by now."

"She is from a village in the mountains, right?" I told her with a light frown, "She probably is used to running. Truth be told she seemed to be more upset about Shadis cutting her meal privilege than running till the sun set."

Narissa seems to think about to for a few moment and shrugged as we both made our way inside the building walking past the group that were talking to each other on the steps outside of the mess hall. The room was already filled with numerous people as conversations rose everywhere around them. I made my way toward a table that a lone dark-haired girl was seated by herself, seemingly enjoying her food at the end of the table.

When me and Narissa sat down with our own food and drinks, the girl gave us a passing glance and I found myself staring into two obsidian colored eyes. She was oddly pale skinned making her hair look even darker than it should be. The glance was just for the fraction of a second but somehow it felt strangely longer than that.

"Say Sarah," Narissa asked pulling my attention away from the girl at the end of the table, "Where are you from anyway, I don't think you ever said it before. Me, I'm from Ehrmich District."

I frowned, "From the interior regions…I thought that the mostly well-off people lived in Sina's interior."

Narissa shrugged her shoulders.

"That maybe what you think but every place had their shady town I guess," she said, "How about you?"

"I am originally from the capital, Mitras," I told her, "However…I haven't been back there ever since Wall Maria fell. My aunt was the one who raised me along with her husband before she passed away earlier this year. So, I made the choice to join the military since I didn't really see myself as pulling weeds for the rest of my life."

Narissa nodded.

"Is that why you wanted to join the Scouts?" she asked.

"No," I said shaking my head, "I had an Uncle who was part of the Scouts before. While I didn't really understand why he joined when I was a kid, thought, I came to understand it after what happened in Shingashina two years ago. I don't want to die before seeing what the world is like out there…outside of these Walls."

Narissa let out a small sigh at that.

"What else is out there other than Titans?" she said, "But…it is a nice dream thought…"

I chuckled softly.

"Yeah it is."

It is nice to dream in a world that allow for so little of it. I refocused upon my food letting the conversations around me to continue to flow. Another person had joined our table and Narissa was quick to start talking with them and since I wasn't in a mood to join the conversation I stayed quiet, simply enjoying the food that I was given thought a commotion had started drawing my attention toward it.

At a couple of tables away, there was a large group of people crowding around someone there, making me wonder exactly what was going on briefly before simply becoming disinterested in the entire ordeal but a few words managed to catch my attention.

"…tall was he?"

"I heard he stepped over the Wall entirely?"

"That was the rumor in my village too,"

"Mine as well."

A new voice answered, almost bored tone.

"It was big but not that big," the voice spoke, "He stuck his head over the Wall."

I can feel myself freezing as I realized what they were talking about.

"What about the Armored Titan…the one who broke through Wall Maria?" another voice asked.

"Is that what they were calling it?" the first bored voice asked, "In the confusion it looked exactly like any ordinary Titan to me."

"Hey…Sarah, are you feeling okay?" Narissa aske me, concern in her tone, "You look kind of pale."

"I think I'm going to turn in early," I told her standing up.

I passed the dark-haired girl that was at my table and made my way toward the entrance of the building leaving them behind completely. While I had no problem talking about what had happened in Shingashina with Kyle and Maria, with other people…it was still hard to do so because every time I think about what happened back then it made me remember my mother.

The woman who threw herself head first into danger so that she could save my life…

I returned to the room I was going to be staying in for the next three years before changing into sleep clothing. A bell had started to run somewhere as I took a seat upon my bed getting ready to go to bed. Tomorrow sound like it was going to be a long day if we're going to start our training with the ODM gears and all of that so I simply decided to go to bed early and maybe like that I will be well rested for challenges that I will have to face.

I fell asleep soon after that.

 _The images flowed within my mind…_

 _There were images of cities being destroyed by Titans…_

 _The same mountain that was covered in snow…_

Then I was snapped awake.

The room was still dark and sunlight was just starting to peek over the horizon. I could hear the soft snore going on around me, meaning that most of everyone were still asleep as I seated upon my bed. Having strange dreams was something that had become frequent ever since Maria had injected me with the serum she said carried the Voices of our Ancestors. The images were never the same thing that I remember from living in the Walls.

No, whatever I was seeing was of something else, thought when I brought it up with her, Maria only told me this.

" _What you are seeing is the truth,"_ she simply said, " _The truth about the world that we left behind."_

But what was the truth? I could barely make out exactly what I was seeing most of the times in those dreams and I barely even understood them as well. With Maria dead, there was no way I could fully understand what these strange memories were at all.

 _This is the legacy of our family,_

Shaking my head, I simply decided to dress up in my soldier outfit before getting ready for the rest of the day. Later on, Narissa and I were joined in a group in the training ground along with the rest of the cadets as Shadis was standing there in front of us. Earlier today, they had given us the harness for the ODM gear as we were going to start our aptitude test today, the ODM gears that we are going to have.

Of course, we had covered most of the lessons about what the ODM gear was in class before, with learning about it's history and how it came to be. However, boot camp was mostly training about our physical capabilities so that they can shape us into perfect soldiers.

"It's Aptitude test time so listen up," Shadis yelled out over the crowd in front of him, "There is no place for you here if you cannot perform. Fail and you'll be sent back to pull out weeds. We have given you the harness earlier this morning. With the many instructors around, you will be split up into groups among all of the testing harness. GET TO IT AND PERFORM."

As Shadis has explained, there was a whole way of the contraptions in the field today, thought they looked used with age but also in good condition as well. Narissa and I went to a group with some others and potato girl was even part our group too and one after the other the testing had begun. All the while, one after the other Cadet approached toward the place we need to go our belt was attached to the wire before being pulled up.

And our job then, was to remain upright, using our body to balance ourselves in the air without falling over. At first glance it looked easy to do, however, I noticed that they were some people who didn't do as well as I hoped. There were some who as soon as they were pulled up, simply fell until they were hanging upside down in the air.

"I hope I can do this," Narissa said softly as she was looking at potato girl, Sasha, who was getting attached now, "They told us what to expect during the lessons but actually seeing it…"

"You'll freak yourself out if you keep thinking like that," I told her with a light frown, "And look if Potato girl can do it, you certainly can."

Sure, enough in front of us, Sasha was hanging in midair in front of us almost like she was seating down in midair with both of her legs forward. I glanced down around the line of the people who were actually trying it on and sure enough a lot of people were doing quite well for themselves.

"Alright, get down," the instructor spoke out dropping Sasha down to the ground, "Next and give your name."

"Narissa Phel."

Narissa who was after Sasha give me a small smile before walking forward passing the brown-haired girl. She was freaking out as they attacked her belt on with the wire and when she was ready the instructor gives the signal for the other cadet to start pulling her up. When she was in the air, the young woman's body moved shakily through the air for a few moments before leaning dangerously backward almost like she was going to fall, but however, she managed to catch herself just in time by extending her hand to the side to catch herself.

Then she simply hung there, lightly moving to and fro but she didn't fall and the instructor seems satisfied with what she had done for he ordered her down, marking something down upon the pad in his hand.

"Bring her down and next," he called out.

Narissa was brought down and unhooked from the wire. Since it was my turn, I let out a soft breath before making my way forward at the contraption and attaching the wire to my belt.

"Name?"

"Sarah Gray," I said.

The man nodded writing it down before giving the signal to the one at the lever. There was light cranking noise about the machine moving and then I could feel the wire starting to tug upward lifting me in the air so that I was a few feet of the grounds. I stayed completely still in the air, moving my body lightly to and fro when it was required so that I could stay still in the air. It wasn't as hard as Narissa made it out to be after all, what you had to do in this is simply trust your body.

"WHAT'S YOUR MAJOR MALFUNCTION YEAGER," Shadis's voice boomed from somewhere on my right drawing my eyes toward where he was, "STRAIGHTEN YOURSELF UP."

He was kneeling right beside a young man who was hanging upside down from the looks of it. He didn't seem to be doing all that well to tell you the truth and I couldn't help but shake my head a little at what was happening.

"Alright, bring her down," the instructor spoke out drawing my eyes toward them.

I was brought down unto the ground and the clip were removed from my waist. The instructor gives me a light nod before calling "Next" and I simply made my way toward where Narissa was. The girl took me into a hug.

"We both made it through," she laughed.

I give a small smile, gently patting upon her shoulder.

At least we get to stay just for a little longer…but this was only the beginning after all.

* * *

 **Sarah has joined the Cadet...and as you can see they are canon characters all around her but she barely interacted with them...and as you may have noticed, i used the OC i created for the original story again for this one. but hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** The Omni-Directional Mobility Gear

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	5. The Omni Directional Mobility Gear

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter so enjoy**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah and Narissa with their ODM gears on.

Chapter Five

Training Days

The Omni-direction Mobility Gear

There was a probation time for those willing to try again at the aptitude test. Unlike me and Narissa, they were many people who failed at doing it the first time as they had spent most of the rest of the day after lunch time, simply working on mastering it. They were given a few days to practice it over before retaking the aptitude test again.

I had stayed behind with my harness still on. The feeling of wearing it was uncomfortable, but I decided to wear it so that I could get used to wearing it since, if I am to become part of the Surveys Corps in three years, then I would probably had gotten used to wearing the many leather straps that were tied all around my body. I had expected to at least struggle a little bit when I was going to do the test, but it seems that they weren't need for it after all.

For the next few hours after lunch, the entire aptitude area was filled with hopeful Cadets that were doing their best to get the hang of simply handing in midair for at least a few minutes and knowing how to balance while in the air. I didn't mind them at all as I munched upon the apple that was in my hand. With lunch having ended some time ago, I was simply seating on the steps of the dorm looking out toward the large field in front of me. We didn't really start the training yet thought I understand when we are finally going to start using the ODM gears to fly then that's when the back-breaking work will come in but for now, it was still an easy afternoon thought it was still too early to say how many of those who flunked the aptitude test will past it thought. With Narissa still enjoying her lunch inside, and with me nothing to do, I decided to play some of my flute music again. I didn't play it as much as I used to back when I was a child, but it wasn't like I had anything better to do right now.

Running back into the dorm and taking the flute box, I made my way back toward the steps of the dormitory that I was staying in before pulling it. I took a seat upon the steps before raising the flute toward my lips…

 _Sarah, why don't you go outside and practice your flute?_

My mother's last words to me whispered deep within my mind causing me to freeze before I could gather my breath to play. Every damn time I was going to play, her voice was always the one thing that stilled my hands. I lowered the instrument down to my lap, drawing shuddering breath as the image of my mother's smiling features appeared within my mind. The familiar long black hair, the soft golden eyes that always looked at me with concern and affection.

Steeling my emotions, I raised the flute toward my lips and gently started to play. Despite it had been a while since I played, however, the training I had gotten from my instruction, Miss Borgia, came rushing back to me. I remember the first time I ever met her and now strict she was with the glasses upon her nose and severe expression. I also remember hating her, hating the countless repetition she made me do so that I could play and teaching me how to manage my breath to be able to play the notes and so forth.

And yet, now as I was playing, the only thing I could think of right now was of my mother, of her gentle smile, her soft caring voice and how much I loved her. I didn't know when I closed my eyes as I was playing the music, letting the gentle memories that I had of my mother fill my mind completely. The notes were soft and gentle, as the song continued, playing it from memory after having to practice it many times during my lesson with Miss Borgia so it came to her like second nature to breathing.

Then the song was over, and I lowered the flute from my lips catching my breath from it. Then a soft clapping noise caused me to snap my eyes open and found myself staring into the face of a small cute blond-haired girl. She had a smile upon her lips as she was looking at me, her crystal blue eyes shone with amazement as she was looking at me.

"That was amazing," she said.

I looked down at the flute in my hands, and oddly enough, I can feel my cheeks heat up with embarrassment at being caught.

"Is it?" I said, "I haven't played in a while."

The blonde smiled nod.

"It was great," she assured me, "I wouldn't lie about that…thought, it sounded a bit sad, almost brought a tear to my eyes actually."

I let out a small laugh at that.

"Really?" I said, "Then thank you for your kind words…er…"

The girl blinked at me for few moments, confused before a light shone in her eyes.

"Oh, my name is Krista Lenz," she smiled, extending a hand toward me, "But you can call me Krista."

"Sarah Gray," I told her, as we shook hands, "What were you doing here?"

The blonde Krista smiled lightly at me.

"I was actually searching for someone," she said, "And I was coming here to see if she was at the dorm when I saw you playing here on the steps."

She approached toward me and took a seat upon the steps beside me. The girl was smaller than I give her credit for as her hair fell upon her shoulder. Looking at her, she oddly enough reminded me of a noble with how fair her skin which made me wonder if she was from a wealthy family…thought if she was, what type of father would allow their daughter to become a soldier?

Somehow, I found myself thinking of my own father…thought I barely remembered him now except for that look he always had in his eyes. I don't think I would ever forget those eyes…I turned my attention toward the blonde beside me.

"Is that person you're looking for a friend?" I asked her.

Krista seems to think about it.

"I think so…," she said, "She is very confusing, but somehow, I think I would like to be friends with her."

"Then she is not your friend yet," I told her.

"Maybe not," Krista said looking down at her laps, her hands joined upon it.

I let out a soft hum.

"But if you want to become friends with her," I continued, "Then there is nothing stopping you from becoming friends does it?"

Krista glanced at me, her blue eyes seemingly suddenly intrusive. It was like there was something else behind that strange, almost serene picture that she was. I couldn't really figure out what it was but something about her…

"Krista," a new voice called out.

The two of us turned toward it, finding another girl approaching us. She had her hair in a ponytail thought she wasn't wearing her military uniform. She had light freckles upon her face as her skin was a darker toned that most of the kids out here, much like the instructor. The new arrival was looking at us, with a strange look upon her gray eyes which were strangely intimidating.

Krista, however, didn't seem to be all that bothered by the taller and slender girl. She smiled brightly at her.

"Ymir," she called out, standing up from where she was seating beside me and approached the taller girl who instantly threw an arm around the smaller blonde's shoulder. Her face seems to soften lightly as she looked at Krista thought when her eyes returned to me, there was a message in those eyes one I can understand quite well.

 _Back off._

I raised an eyebrow at her, not giving a shit about her expression at all simply staring back at her.

"Making friends, are we?" she said looking down at Krista.

The blonde nodded, "Her name is Sarah Gray."

Ymir looked at me for a few moments, as if trying to place me before a light appeared within those gray eyes of hers.

"You're that girl who told Shadis about wanting to join the Survey Corps," she said.

Krista blinked in surprise, looking at me and I can see the surprise within her blue orbs.

"I did," I told her with a shrug, "I didn't see the point in trying to put a front against him."

"Sarah, you really want to go join the Survey Corps?" Krista asked, her voice taking a worried tone.

It was strange that she would sound this worried when we just met. I let out a soft hum before looking up toward the sky which was filled with clouds and yet, I can still see the blue among them. I smiled at Krista.

"Yes, Krista, I am," I told her.

"But why?"

"Who cares?" Ymir shrugged, "If she wants to turn herself into fodder, that's her choice."

"Hey, that's not nice Ymir."

"I'm not a nice person."

I placed the flute back into the case that was on the ground beside me and closed it.

"That much is true," I spoke out drawing the two girl's attention, "Joining the Survey Corps is a sure way to walk to an early grave. There is no need to sugar-coat it. However, someone told me long ago that this world doesn't give a fuck either way. It will push you down with cruelty, and despair and even when we try to crawl out of it, we might not even make it but we've got to fight either way because the only choice that laid in front of me now."

I stared at the duo in front of me.

"Stand and fight, for as long as you can do that, you'll survive."

The two stayed silent from my little speech, thought I can feel my thoughts returning to Maria. The woman had showed me what type of world that was waiting for me out there. The world that was beyond the Walls were cruel and merciless.

"Well, whatever," Ymir said, "C'mon Krista let's go."

"Ah…okay," the blonde said letting the taller girl pull her away, but then she called out, "It was nice meeting you."

I smiled before waving a hand at her in goodbye. When they turned away, I lowered my hand letting out a small laugh shaking my head lightly.

"What the hell was that?" I said to myself, _Since when did I start preaching like that?_

I placed a hand upon my forehead with a light sigh, thought there was something strange that I felt. That tall girl's name…

Ymir.

I don't know why…but _why does it feel like so familiar?_

* * *

The next day, the people who didn't do well on their first aptitude test were taking it again and I had decided to go and see exactly who will make the cut for the ODM training. They were many who didn't make it, but it all came down to the last guy which I remember Shadis called Yeager. The young man looked a little nervous with a bandage on his forehead, since he had hurt himself in practice before.

"So…you think he is going to be able to do it?" Narissa asked me from where she stood.

The boy, Yeager, started to get pulled up.

"We'll see," I murmured softly.

At first, Yeager had managed to stay upright and with how concentrated his face was you would think this moment was a life or death with him. I chuckled lightly at the thought looking at him hang there but then strangely enough almost like something came lose, Yeager lost his balance and was once again hanging upside down like I saw him do yesterday.

I blinked.

"What was that?" I whispered.

"You said something Sarah?"

I didn't answer her, just keep looking at Yeager as he was getting lowered down to the ground. As he was down there on the ground, the young man looked completely crushed. Something about his face almost made me want to give him a hug and tell him it'll be alright. I guess becoming a soldier was a life or death thing for him…

"Wagner exchange belt with him," Shadis said suddenly.

I blinked in confusion at the order, and I can hear the conversation around me as they were all confused with the order. The blond guy did as he was asked and changed the belt with him and Yeager once again was pulled up except this time, he was completely still in the air only lightly moving to and fro.

"His belt…," I said softly, "That's why he couldn't do it."

Shadis seems to have come to the same conclusion as well.

"Your equipment was defective," the instructor said holding the belt in his hand, "If given a piece of functional gear, you might not be worthless after all. The quartermaster didn't notice the broken clasp. Might have to visit the supply depot and crack some skulls."

"You mean he was able to still do it with a broken equipment?" Narissa said completely shocked, "And here I thought I was stubborn."

I couldn't help the little grin upon my lips as I stared at the young man, hanging in front of me.

 _Stubborn as they come,_ I thought, _Not bad Yeager._

"Y…You mean…I didn't wash out?" the boy, Yeager said.

"You made the cut," Shadis answered, "Now keep training Cadet."

A look of pure joy appeared upon Yeager's face before he raised his hands into the air in jubilation. I guess he will be hanging around for a little bit more. They were a few cheers going around for him, probably his friends thought, but now that everyone had passed the aptitude test, it was time for the real training to begin.

And did it begin.

We were sent to the supply depot in line so that we could gain our ODM gears and learning how to put it on. It was quite simply considering that they attached well with the belt we had on and it weighted quite a lot, more around the canisters than most. There was another part which was attacked to the back and then two hand controllers as I was already playing around with the buttons that were on the side and I noticed the hooks at my waist moving up and down.

 _So that's why this one is for,_ I thought, _then the button at the top is for…lateral movement and the one that the bottom is for vertical…that she should be easy enough to remember… top is for lateral and bottom is for vertical…but I can also alter them for angle shots as well…the person who came up with this is a freaking genius…_

There was another button at the top of the controller and I noticed that it was probably the mechanism to attach the blades for combat, and I will guess that the two triggers are for shooting the hooks forward and the one that the bottom is for releasing the hook I think…and maybe used them as well to retract once the hook is already out. Like shoot out a hook, use the break to stop and then pressing it again for retraction?

"Sarah, can you help me with this?"

I turned toward Narissa who was struggling with her gear, so I went and help her attach it and when I was done the young woman was standing there enjoying the gear.

"Well, the weight is surprising, but I'll guess we'll grow used to them," the young girl said, "Since we're probably be wearing this every time we'll be on duty."

"One step closer to becoming a real soldier isn't it?"

Narissa let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, one step closer."

The training had become a brutal murder in the next few weeks. The drill instructors, Shadis and the people helping him started to drill it into our heads the importance of the ODM gears telling us that it is probably going to save our lives and mastering it was the crux of becoming a soldier worth their salt. You must learn to manage your gas supply because if you ran out of gas in enemy territory, you're dead. You ran out of blades, you retreat if you can because if you don't, you're dead. If your gear malfunction, you're also fucking dead, so you'll have to make sure to keep doing maintenance work at the depot and always make sure it's in top condition because well, it's your life.

Another key component in using the ODM gear is spatial awareness. Since you'll be flying around, you must get a good idea of the area around you and be observant because you can go crashing into something if you're not careful at all, so getting tunnel vision is the worst thing you can do when you're flying about in the air and that is when the aptitude test comes in handy to maneuver your way around through the air.

Passing the aptitude doesn't always mean that you'll be great at using the ODM, it's just mean you're not a hopeless case.

So, during our training, I became increasingly familiar with the forest that was chosen for us to learn to maneuver our way through using the ODM gear and I was not doing too bad, I'd reckon but strangely enough, it never stops making my heart flutter in anticipation when there is nothing beneath your feet other than air and that you were soaring through the sky like a bird.

There were no greater feelings and strangely enough, the image of the flying birds came to the forefront of my mind at this moment that is until you made make a mistake and found yourself free falling, which was exactly what happened to me when I accidently pressed the wrong button.

I found myself flying forward through the air, about to crash into a tree that was quickly coming for me when an arm was suddenly around my waist and then I was yanked to the side, flying briefly before landing upon a tree branch along with my savior who let out a soft grunt when we landed.

"Are you okay?" the voice asked me, a female voice.

I turned toward it and find myself staring into familiar obsidian eyes.

I blinked for a few moments. It was a beautiful face that was staring at me, yet it showed almost no emotions upon the soft delicate looking features. Her hair was a midnight black cropped short as they fall around her head, reaching her chin from how she was angled, pink lips set a thin line and it was then I realized that I was just ogling her with my lips lightly opened.

"I…yeah, I'm fine," I told her, my voice croaking lightly, "I just lost concentration for a moment."

The dark-haired girl seems to stare at me for a few moment before giving a curt nod. A hook was shoot out and then she was gone, leaving behind a trail of gray smoke behind her along with me standing on a branch just staring at her retreating form before she disappeared completely. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, feeling my heart hammering in my chest, adrenaline pumping through me probably from almost crashing into a tree and getting seriously injured.

"Keep moving Gray," a voice yelled out at me drawing my eyes toward the instructor on the horse below me, "Training is not over."

"Yes sir," I called out, before shooting out a hook forward and resuming training all the while the image of the dark-haired girl was in the back of my mind.

* * *

That night I was in the mess with Narissa beside me thought the girl was lying on the table her food in front of her. I was drinking from my cup as my friend let out a soft moan of pain.

"If we keep going on like this during training I don't know how much I can go on," she said.

I glanced down at her.

"I thought you know what we were signing up for," I told her.

Narissa let out a laugh.

"But that doesn't make it any better," she said, "Did you know that some of the cadets got seriously injured today. I heard it from Mina Carolina, one of the boys got their legs broken from a fall and there was another who almost got strangled by his own wire. He is lucky he wasn't going as fast or the cable would have sliced straight through his neck."

I let out a wince at the thought.

"That…That's messed up."

"I know," Narissa whined.

But my eyes were instantly drawn away from my friend as I took notice of the dark-haired girl that saved me during training today. She had just entered inside the mess alongside Yeager and another blonde kid. I observed them as the trio made their way to pick up their food before finding a table not too far away from where I was.

"What's you looking at?"

"Narissa, who is that girl?" I asked, "The one that is seated beside Yeager."

My friend raised her head looking at the direction I was.

"Oh…that's Mikasa Ackerman," she said, "She is league ahead of any of us in the ODM from what I heard."

I can feel my eyes widening in shock at the revelation of the name.

 _Ackerman?_

I remember what Maria said about the family, just like my own, which were targeted by the government because we were uncontrollable. I stared at the girl, across me as she continued to eat from where she sat.

 _Maria was right…there was still member of the Ackerman family alive…thought it makes me wonder if she knows about anything that happened to her family name to the rest of the Ackerman…_

* * *

 **So ends this chapter. I hope you guys have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, see you all next time.**

 **Next Time:** Titan Slaying Training

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	6. Titan Slaying Training

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update and enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah talking with Armin over a notebook.

Chapter Six

Training Days

Titan Slaying Training

Mikasa Ackerman has become a noticeable factor in my thoughts.

With what Maria had told me about the Ackerman family being a feared faction by the royal Government, and yet she was there right among the Cadets Corps. I thought about it for days on end, about the girl's origin and if she was aware of her family's history at all, and I had many questions that I wanted to ask her however, approaching her was kind of difficult.

From how I observed things, she was always around Yeager…thought I later learned that his first name is Eren and another blonde boy called Armin Arlert, the resident book-smart in our class. The group was always together whenever they were at breakfast or during lunch or even in the evening meal. The trio spent most of their times together. However, Narissa had been right about one thing thought and that was Mikasa Ackerman was the best in our class at the ODM gears. During training she was always leading through the forest training and even during when our hand to hand combat training continued. With how good at everything she seems to be, approaching her to simply talk about what I wanted to talk to her about seems…difficult.

Thought, seeing her so damn good pushed me to try even harder at mastering the ODM whenever we had training for it. I was taking notes in my notebooks about different ideas of training with the ODM and maneuver that I could do by simply adding gravity into the mix along with force of inertia and momentum, anyway, back to Mikasa…since she was so hard to approach, at least by me, I decided to focus upon the two boys that she was always with.

Eren Yeager was…an explosive guy, there was no other way of describing him. Narissa had described him as stubborn in the past before, however, this guy just beyond simply stubbornness. It was like he was a man possessed most of the time during training and funny enough, always seems to at odd with another guy called Jean. The two were like oil and water, never mixing and if they were joined up together on a team thought, they always ended up fighting one way or another, whether a screaming match or fist fights.

Armin was more subdued if I was comparing him to Eren, serving more like a mediator than anything else. While he wasn't physically capable like Eren and Mikasa were, he seems to be his strengths lies more in books than on the battlefield. He wasn't someone that you would find a lot in the field, but he was kind of someone that was leading in book smarts and whatnots.

If I couldn't talk to Mikasa yet, I can at least learn about everything I can about the people she surrounds herself with and maybe find an opening to be able to speak to her…

 _Damn it why was I agonizing over this?_

So what, if she is an Ackerman? Maria didn't seem to think that they were all that important but then again, Maria did believe that they died out, but if there was one Ackerman still alive, could she know the reason why her family was almost annihilated…just like my own…

Maybe that was the reason why I felt so strongly about Mikasa. It was because, just like my mother's family, we were almost killed off because the Royal Government feared us, thought for what I still can't really understand. I still can't figure out what most of the dreams I have been having means thought despite just how many times I dreamed and trying to understand them.

But whatever I could remember, I had decided to draw them down into my small notebook with a crayon at least the parts I still remember whenever I woke up, thought it barely helped. Then, my eyes found Armin Arlert a few meters away from where I was, and he was looking over what seems to be a book probably trying to read more about something.

Seeing him alone was a strange sight, considering that he was always with Eren and Mikasa whenever I saw him. It was like the trio came as a set or something but seeing him like that made me think of why I wanted to talk about in the first place. I wanted to learn more about Mikasa and her past and who else could know other than what seems to be one of her closest friends.

With this plan in mind, I made my way toward where the boy was and something about it struck me odd when I noticed that I was as tall as him.

"Good book?" I spoke out.

He jumped in surprise at me talking to him. He almost dropped the book he was reading and almost fell if I hadn't caught him by the shoulder. The young man instantly turned toward me, revealing the baby blue eyes that he had, thought wide with surprise at me.

"Er…?"

"I'm sorry," I told him with a light smile, "I didn't mean to scare you like that. I thought you would have heard me approach."

The boy, Armin, let out a small laugh as I let go of him when I was sure he wasn't going to fall over.

"No…it's alright," he said, "I tend to get focused rather easily when I read and forget the world around me."

I chuckled.

"I understand the feeling," I told him, "Thought… I am curious as to what could have caught your attention."

Armin showed me the book he was reading.

"Since they wanted us do our own maintenance on our ODM," he said, "I was reading the manual about the most common problem they could have with the gear and be prepared when they happen, so I could recognize them quicker."

"You're actually reading the manual?" I said, surprisingly.

They had given us a light manual about the ODM gears and what to do to fully do maintenance with the gear, thought I had barely opened it. It had only been a few months since we started training with the gears in the first place.

"That's actually a good idea," I said lamely, "I have only been focusing on increasing my efficiency with my gear since I'm planning to join the Scouts and all…won't survive long out there if we can't master it fully."

Armin blinked.

"You're planning to join the Scouts?" he asked, surprised.

"It's one of my goals," I told him with a light nod.

Armin fell silent at that, almost like he was in thought for a few moments.

"Then…you're one of the few people who want to join them."

I blinked to myself for a few moments.

"Say Armin," I said, drawing his eyes at me, "With you having book smarts and all, do you think you can help me with something?"

"Er…sure?"

I nodded pulling out my small notebook and filtered through it before reaching the page I wanted to go. The page where I had drawn out the plan for the maneuver that I had been trying to master and the equations I had written about using the gear.

"You see," I told him showing the notebook, "I was working on something with my ODM gear. I wanted to learn a maneuver, but I wasn't having much luck in cracking it."

"I…I am not actually that skilled with the gear," the blonde told me with a light embarrassed tone.

"Not the maneuver," I told him, "But with these calculations…do you think you can help?"

Armin looked at the numerous diagrams that I had drawn out, his eyes taking them over with a light frown upon his face. His eyes were quickly looking over the numbers, softly talking to himself.

"You…You really calculating that much?" he asked, sounding surprised at me.

I nodded.

"The better I am with the ODM gears," I told him, "The longer I will live…thought, all of it will only matter if I can actually pull it off against an actual Titan once I am part of the Scouts."

The young blond only gives him a small nod.

"Okay," he said, "I'll see what I can do."

And that's how my friendship with Armin Arlert started. Although, that was the first time we had a full conversation with one another, I was taken aback by how smart he was. With his help, I had managed to create a whole lot of calculations about the way to move your body during flight while you were in the air and surprisingly, during our ODM training, the young man had joined Narissa and me as we worked our way through training sometimes to accomplish what we have discussed and try to place them in a real-world environment.

I flew, imagining a large hand coming at me and after adjusting my waist lightly and shooting a hook to the side, and with a burst of gas, I dodged the approaching tree that I had imagined as a Titan, spinning my body to avoid it completely and launching forward past it.

 _Nailed it,_ I thought, with a light smirk.

"That was badass Sarah," Narissa yelled as she flew pass me, "I thought you were going to crash for a minute there. You had me freaking scared."

"I'm just putting my ideas to work in a safe environment," I called back to her as I flew through the trees, "Before this training is over, my score with the ODM will have been increased."

Narissa only laughed.

When our training was over, the group that had been with us was leaving the forest making our way toward the horses that were waiting for us and I instantly caught sight of a familiar set of blond hair in front of us, along with Eren and Mikasa who had been part of the training as well.

" _HEY ARMIN_ ," I called out, waving.

The group stopped walking and turned at the sound of my voice. Armin had a confused look upon his face before he caught sight of me waving at him and the confusion melted away. I approached toward him with a light grin upon my lips.

"Hey Sarah," he said, "You were out there too?"

I nodded.

"Yeah, I was on another part of the forest…anyway, that's not important right now…look, I did the technique we were working on the other day."

Armin's eyes widened, "What? But didn't you say that you were going to wait until you were more adept with the gear?"

I nodded.

"I did say that," I told him, "However, the opportunity came so I didn't want to pass it up…almost crashed into a tree thought…"

"Yeah, and give me a heart attack in the process," Narissa said slapping the back of my head.

"Your friends with Armin?" a new voice spoke out.

It was Eren Yeager who spoke, the young man had both of his arms at his side.

"We only started talking a few days ago," Armin answered for me, "Sarah wanted help in some calculations and I give her some pointers."

"Yeah, he really helped me out," I said giving the blonde a small grin, "Oh…I'm Sarah Gray by the way."

I extended a hand toward Eren and he shook it. I did the same to Mikasa and the dark-haired girl that had been invading my thoughts for the past few weeks took my hand with her own. Her hand was softer than I imagined it to be, but there was strength behind her grip, there was no denying that.

"I'm Narissa," my friend said waving at them.

I let go of Mikasa's hand before turning toward Armin again.

"Thanks again by the way," I told him.

"Hey it's no problem," Armin answered.

I nodded.

"If you ever need help in anything," I told him seriously, "Don't hesitate to ask alright. If I can help, I will."

I turned my gaze toward the other two that were with him.

"And that extend to you two as well," I said, "Any friend of Armin is a friend to me."

Eren give me a "Sure," but Mikasa didn't say anything, thought her eyes were observing me. She probably recognized me from having saved my ass during our last encounter during training. With what I needed to say said, I give them a light wave before both Narissa and I walked away.

* * *

 **NO POV**

Armin stared at the two girls walking away from where he, Eren and Mikasa where standing. The brown-haired girl, Sarah was already talking with the other girl Narissa about something. The girl had been kind of a companion these past few days as he helped her upon the calculations she had done for mastering the ODM gears. Armin had been surprised at how much effort she had put through thought but then again, it also make sense if she was planning to join the Scouts when she graduated.

"You've been helping her?"

It was Eren who spoke to him as the trio started to walk again.

Armin nodded, "Yeah, Sarah had been working though diagrams and calculations on how to best used the ODM gear. She said she wanted to get better at since she is planning to join the Scouts."

"Seriously?" Eren asked surprised.

Armin nodded.

"I'm surprised that she wants to join them," he said, "Most people here wouldn't admit to something like that. They all wants to live in the interior rather than fight back."

"Not everyone is like you Eren," Armin told him.

The young man nodded, "Sarah Gray….isn't she the one that Mina said played the flute sometimes?"

Armin glanced at him frowning lightly.

"She is," Mikasa spoke, "I've heard her play before."

Mikasa didn't say anything else thought, the idea made the blonde think back to the amber eyed girl. Sarah never come as the type to learn how to play something like that thought.

 _I wonder what makes her want to join the Scouts?_ Armin thought.

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

* * *

The training had suddenly changed the following weeks as we were now training to strike Titan dummies and learning to use the flesh pairing blades. The Titan dummies were in the variety of ten to thirteen meters. I was flying through the trees now, with my blades ready as I searched for the sight of a Titan dummy and then came across one by its lonesome and since the part of the sack that was wrapped around it's nape wasn't damaged yet meaning that no one had found it yet.

Quickly noticing at how he was angled and the distance of the tree that was behind it, I decided of launching my left hook at the tree and used my gas to propel me into an arc around the tree, turning straight at the dummies other side with the exposed nape right in my path.

With a slight grin, and using my own momentum I unhooked free falling through the air before launching a deep strike straight into where it needed to be and right after that, launching a hook forward again and I gave a light glance behind me at the Titan's nape I just attacked noticing that a deep cut now adorned the sack. Chuckling, I continued upon my warpath flying and searching for more dummies to practice on, and even slicing even more nape, thought I did try to add a bit of flare with my spinning movements and applying the maneuvers that I have been practicing for months now.

All in all, it was a good training thought Narissa struggled quite a bit, her cut not appearing to be deep enough, however, she didn't really let it get to her, however, I can feel that she was trying to put a front rather than speak about her struggle. I tried to give her some advice but, Narissa had only snapped at me in her mounting frustration.

So, I simply decided to wait for her to come to me.

"Sarah,"

I looked up at the voice who called my name.

It was Narissa. I had been seating by a lamp, writing more into my notebook about what I could do to improve during training. I clipped my pen at it and closed the notebook that I was writing on.

"What is it?" I asked her, already knowing why she wanted to talk to me.

"I'm sorry about earlier today," the girl told me not meeting my eyes, "I didn't mean to be a bitch."

I tapped the bed.

"C'mon," I told her, "Get on."

Narissa gave me a look but she did as I asked and came to seat beside me. I threw one of my arm around her shoulders and held her close.

"Everything is forgiven."

She looked at me stunned.

"Just like that?"

I smiled at her, "Just like that."

Narissa shook her head lightly as she laughed.

"I was agonizing during diner about how to apologize to you," she said, "And you just throw your arm around me and just forgive me…like that."

I laughed.

"Hey, we're friends," I told her, "I have seen how frustrated you were when you weren't performing well. I guess, I thought you would have had a better control on your temper."

The girl chuckled.

"Yeah," she said, "Dad always used to say that I had the temper like violent storm…but, will you help me?"

I smiled.

"There is no need to ask," I told her, "Just tell me where you need the help and we'll work on that."

Narissa looked at me for a few moments, a soft smile appearing upon her lips. It was the softest expression I have ever seen her made. The girl nodded at me.

"Well…I did have some trouble with the switch back," she said, "And when we're striking the nape of the dummies, the cuts I made are never deep enough."

I nodded, opening my notebook again arriving toward one of the pages that I had some diagrams. Narissa sat upon my bed as the two of us sat there, and I started to explain what she needed to do. Our conversation continued late into the night meaning that most of the girls in the dorms were already asleep and I didn't even remember falling asleep and it was only when I woke up the next morning, I realized that both Narissa and I had fallen asleep on the same bed.

I smiled lightly at the other girl before shaking her awake.

It explains why the bed felt smaller when I woke up this morning.

* * *

 **So ends this chapter.**

 **Next Time:** Reunion in Trost

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	7. Reunion in Trost

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah walking down the street of Trost with Narissa and Mina Carolina Jean and Marco in the background along with Armin.

Chapter Seven

Training Days

Reunion in Trost

They had started to train us in teams. It had been nearly two years now since we have become Cadet and our training had become even more intense than the last few days, thought, most of us were getting prepared for the large-scale training we're going to have in the city of Trost. Shadis had been quite adamant about it was going to be an exercise coordinated with the Garrison Regiment of the city. There was not much we could say about it at all.

So, this was going to be our last training day before we travel there in two days. So far, Narissa and I had started to work with a team of people that had joined our group as our circle of friends had extended. While we sometimes work with Armin within our group, it was always nice to change things up around because as a soldier, you will be prepared to learn to work with a lot of different people. Our training had changed considerably thought, while most of our work and effort goes to mastering the ODM gears, we have been trained in firearm usage, horseback riding and even some hand to hand combat. There was an odd rumor that had taken place during that training about Krista getting kidnapped by a few thieves during our horse training, but that was all in the past now. But they have been people who joined Narissa and I, since I was always with her.

First off, the guy was Samuel. He was a little serious at times, but he was a helpful new companion. He had long dark hair and small black eyes. He often asks me for help when we were in ODM training and I had been more than happy to give him some pointers. ODM training was something that I take very seriously and with the amount of graph and calculation I had poured into the training, I wanted to master the gear completely…thought, I was mostly aimed at Mikasa.

The girl was just that good and because of her, I pushed myself to my limit to be able to surpass her. Another member which became a familiar figure for me was Marco Bolt. He was the sweetest guy that I knew, and Marco was a people person. He somehow, instinctively knew who was good at something and since he was always hanging around with Jean, I had expected him to be like the taller boy and be a complete asshole, and I was glad that I was wrong about him.

Our last member was Annie Leonheart, and well, she was not much of a talker and was even shorter than I was. While I wasn't Ymir lanky height, I wasn't the shortest either. So, I was in the middle, thought. While she was cold in appearance and whenever she talked, I just realized that Annie was someone of a few words.

I landed upon a branch reeling my hooks in. I glanced down toward the gear that was on me and gently tapped the canister. I couldn't help but overhearing some type of clinking noise throughout the entire time I was using it today. It wasn't doing it the last time I used it, and whenever I was using it during the Dummy training earlier today, that sound always came back. It was like there was a coin rattling around inside of it and it made me nervous.

With such an important training operation coming up, having a faulty gear was not really what I wanted to be saddled with by now. Letting out a small sigh, I decided to finish for it today, launching my hooks forward and lowering down toward the ground in a gentle glide. The rest of the group must have noticed me stopping the training for Marco instantly came to land beside me along with Narissa, Samuel and Annie.

"Something the matter Sarah?" Marco asked, a concerned tone in his voice.

"I think there is something wrong with my gear," I told him, "It keep clinking."

Samuel blinked.

"That was your gear doing that?" he said, "I heard it before, but I didn't realize that it was yours."

"Yeah, I'm going to stop training for today," I spoke, looking at the group, "I'm sorry guys, I know that this training is going to take all of us and if I stop…"

"Hey, don't sweat it," Samuel told me with a light grin, "your gear is giving you problem and it's only training. Best you stop rather than risk your life over something that can be avoided."

I glanced at the group in front of me noticing that they weren't mad at me at all, and I turned my gaze toward the shorter blonde girl. Annie was as expressionless as always and when she noticed me looking at her, the blonde simply gives me a light nod of acknowledgment as well. I give them a light smile.

"Thanks guys," I told them, "I'll make it up to you….if I can."

"Well, no use in standing around here," Narissa said, "Let's head back to the instructor then."

Our group walked together aiming straight toward where Shadis was standing. The man's eyes turned toward us.

"Your training is not over Cadets," he spoke, his tone filed with warning.

We all saluted.

"Sir, I have discovered a problem with my gear," I said, "Because of me, our team had decided to stop the training."

The man stared down at me.

"A problem with your gear you say?" he frowned, "You best make sure that your gear is functional because you are going to need it Cadet Gray. The training in Trost is going to count in your grades."

"I am aware sir," I said.

"Make sure that you know," he said, as he started to write something upon his clipboard, "Dismissed Team 6."

We all saluted before making our way out of the forest. I let out a sigh as we all walked together back toward the barrack.

"I must say, that maneuver you pulled up back there was quite amazing Sarah," Samuel said, drawing my attention toward him who was walking beside me, "I don't think I would have been able to pull something like that off."

I let out a small chuckle.

"I have been working on perfecting my mastery of the ODM gears," I answered, "Thought compared to Jean and Mikasa thought…I'm nowhere near their level yet."

"I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit," Samuel said.

"He is right you know," Narissa told me, "After these two, you're probably in third place with the best in the class with the ODM."

I rubbed my cheek in embarrassment.

"Am I really?"

I never really think about our ranking like that. With people like Mikasa, Reiner, Jean and even Annie in the class, I never thought that I was that good. I trained my butt off most of the time to reach them but I never actually…

"Thanks…I guess," I murmured.

"It sucks that we have to turn in early today," Marco said, "However, it also gives us some time to rest for the training in Trost."

"Yeah," I said, "But I still need to repair my gear and see what is wrong with it."

"Samuel, why don't you help her out?" Narissa suddenly asked.

Samuel jumped in surprise at that.

"What?"

"I mean, they do say two heads are better than one," the girl explained.

I narrowed my eyes at her. Narissa was up to something, that much I could tell from how she refused to meet my eyes keeping her gaze upon the taller boy beside me. He had a light flush upon his face as he looked away for a few moments.

"If you want my help," he said, addressing me.

"You don't have to help if you don't want to," I told him.

Samuel looked at me.

"I want to help," he said, "If you would let me."

I stayed silent for a few moment, looking at the taller boy before nodding. Well, it is always nice to have some help around so the two of us made our way back to the depot where we usually leave our gears after training with them. The inside smelled of oil and machine parts as I made my way straight toward the direction of the mechanic to get the kit needed to do the maintenance.

Samuel was at a table waiting for me when I returned with the kit and I placed the gear in front of us and we both set up to work at the turbine which was were I was hearing the noise coming from. The young man was unusually quiet as he sat there waiting for me to finish dismantling the part I was working on.

"Sarah, where are you from?"

I looked at him confused, "What?"

"I mean, I know where Narissa is from…but I don't think you ever said where you came from?" he asked, his tone curious.

"I was born in the capital," I told him.

He seems surprised.

"You're a noble?" he said surprised.

"I was raised as one yes," I told him, "But since Wall Maria fell, I haven't returned there at all…what about you?"

"I'm from Slate," Samuel said, "Just a small village in Wall Rose territory, not much to do out there to tell you the truth…well, other than farming. I didn't want to be all of that for my life so I decided to join the Corps…it's been hard but, I can make it."

I smiled lightly.

"I'm sure you will Samuel."

The young man grinned at me and we both continued to work together. I found out what caused the strange sound. It was formed by a small screw that had gotten lose and it rattled whenever the cable was moving. Any longer and it would have destabilized when I shoot my hooks forward and could have gotten seriously injured. By the time I was done making sure that everything was working as it should, it was already late into the night.

"Well, thanks for your help Samuel," I told him with a small smile.

"It was no problem," the young man answered, "You have a good night."

I waved at him as we both went our separate ways. I made my way straight toward the dorms where most of the girls were. As soon as a I entered inside, however, I was assaulted by Narissa who grabbed me that my arms and yanked me forward like I was a rag doll.

"Narissa…what the hell…," I yelled.

She didn't hear me placing me on her bed where both Hanna and Mina were waiting.

"So, how was your time with Samuel?" Narissa asked.

I blinked in confusion.

"It was…fine?" I answered, confusion and question loud in my voice.

Mina started laughing, "I told you she wouldn't be aware of it."

I stared at her confusedly still. Narissa took a seat upon the bed beside me.

"I give him the perfect chance too," she said shaking her head lightly.

"Ju…Just what are you guys talking about?" I asked confused.

Hannah was the one who took pity of me.

"Narissa heard that Samuel had a crush on you, so she decided to give you some alone time with him," the freckled girl told me.

My face turned completely red.

"W…W…W…What?" I said my voice rising a few octaves, "Y…You…serious?"

"Well he is not bad on the eyes," Mina said chuckling softly.

"I thought you and him would make a cute couple," Hannah smiled.

I gave her a glance.

"You mean like you and Franz?"

Hannah blushed.

"C'mon, don't say that," she said, red in the face, "Franz and I aren't like that at all. Stop making stuff up."

Yeah, like anyone would believe _that_. I instantly turned my gaze toward Narissa.

"I knew you were up to something earlier today when you suggested him to help me."

"Just giving the guy a helping hand," Narissa shrugged, "I mean, c'mon Sarah, don't tell me you don't think he is cute."

"I…I…It's not like that…," I said, my face completely red.

"Aw, she's shy," Mina cooed smiling at me.

" _Shut up_ ," I mumbled, causing the other girls to giggle at me.

"What about you Mina," Hannah asked, "Don't you have your eyes on anyone?"

The dark-haired girl seems to think for a few moments.

"Well, there is Paul," she said, "I think he is kind of cute."

I frowned, "Paul…like that redhead guy."

"You know him?" Hanna asked.

"Well, I talked to him like…once," I shrugged, "What about you Narissa?"

"Reiner," she said simply.

I raised my eyebrows.

Reiner was like the group's Big Brother. He was a reliable guy that everyone looked up to. He was a good soldier, always willing to give a helping hand to anyone and was always giving out advice as well. Safe to say, he was popular in the 104th.

"You seen the muscle on that guy," Narissa said a dreamy look on her face, "I'd love to get a peek of that six pack he is hiding under that shirt of his."

Mina gave a sly grin, "At least you won't have to complain about his stamina."

Hannah and I blushed at what she was implying and Narissa only grinned back, "You know it girl."

"Oh god," I said placing a hand upon my face to hide my growing blush.

"I'll be saying that a lot too just you know… _differently_ ," Narissa grinned.

" _Narissa_ ," Hannah said, scandalized at the girl's forwardness.

"You guys are such prude," my friend said shaking her head, "But for real Sarah, any guys draw your attention at all?"

"You didn't ask Hannah," I said lamely.

"Please we all know she's going to be dreaming about Franz tonight so no need," Mina said causing Hannah to blush even a brighter red than before, thought she didn't deny it, "C'mon, it's just us girls here, so spill."

I stayed silent, thinking about the few guys I interacted with.

"Well…Armin is adorable," I said thinking about the blond that was always so helpful whenever I asked him something, "Marco is really sweet…but, there is also…Eren and M…."

I cut myself up, surprised at the name I was about to reveal.

All three girls stared at me in shock.

"Eren?" Narissa repeated, surprised, "You like him?"

"Didn't think you were into suicidal bastards," Mina chuckled, saying the nickname Eren was known as.

I blushed, looking away, "It's not like that…you might say that I admire his passion."

I looked at them.

"I mean, you all know that he was in Shingashina when Wall Maria fell," I said, "He knows how terrifying the Titans can be. Anyone else would have wanted to put as much distance between them and the Titans as possible and yet…he is here, learning to be a soldier so that he can fight back."

I thought back to how I was after Wall Maria fell…at how broken I was. Back then, if it wasn't for Maria, I would have never found the strength to really stand back up even with my mother's death. Back then, I was even waiting for my father to come and save me…

"That's what I like about him."

There was a small chuckle coming from Narissa.

"It makes me wonder how he will be if he had this passion elsewhere."

Hannah and I blushed while Narissa laughed at our faces and soon enough I found myself giggling along as well. It's been a long time since I felt like an actual girl.

* * *

Trost District was very different from Shingashina.

The moment I stepped through the inner Gate of the city that I saw expending in front of me, I instantly recognized the difference between them. While Shingashina had roads, they were more dirt roads than anything else just wide enough for carriage to go through, however, the streets of Trost were big and filled with concrete floor and they were more people around in the streets than just us the recruits just walking through the street.

"I've never been in a Walled City before," Samuel said looking around.

"It's pretty big," Narissa said, "I mean, I grew up in one of them but I have never been in Trost before."

I turned my gaze forward noticing Marco walking in front of us with Jean, and Armin. I made my way forward toward the group in front of us.

"Hey guys," I called out drawing their attention and I can see Sasha and Connie ahead us.

"Hey Sarah," Armin greeted with a grin.

"I'm surprised you're not with Eren and Mikasa," I told the blonde with a small smile.

"Well, they were chosen to be part of the group that will help with the supplies," the small blond answered me.

"Is that so?" I murmured with a light frown.

"Hey Jean, I heard that you were from here," Narissa called out walking toward the tall boy, "So you know where all of the good stores are right."

Jean give her a look, "What are you thinking about?"

"We're going to be staying in the city for a couple of days at most," Narissa said pulling the boy to her height with her arm, "I need to go and buy some stuff for when we leave again. Sarah need some clothes as well."

I frowned at the thought, "Some of my clothes are getting a little small…with my grow spurt last year."

"No kidding," Armin said, "You were the same height as Annie when we first met, and now you're even taller than that."

I chuckled.

"I'm even taller than you," I answered him.

"Not a good feeling having a girl taller than you is there Armin?" Samuel teased him.

"Mikasa is taller than me," Armin said with a confused look.

Narissa turned to me, "Sarah, you need to ask Mina and Hannah to come along with us. When we have time off after the training exercise we will go out and get things done between us."

"Do you even have any money?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows.

" _Sarah?"_

The unfamiliar voice caught me off guard since it wasn't any of the people that were with me. I turned toward the direction it came from and my eyes widened at the sight of who was in front of me. Charlotte, my father's sister was right there along with her husband who looked much older than I remembered him to be and with them was a young man dressed in a suit with brown hair of similar color to mine.

I came to a stop shocked at the sight of the people I haven't seen since I was nothing but a child…

* * *

 **Face to face with the family that left her behind...**

 **Next Time:** The Life the Girl left Behind.

 **This chapter is taking place around the same time as Jean's OVA episode...while we'll get shade of it, Sarah is once again doing her own things as i said before that Sarah's story is wrapped around the Attack on Titan story. kind of like a story that could have been happening in the background of the canon show but this is fanfiction XD.**

 **Anyway, hope you have enjoyed this update.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	8. The Life the Girl left Behind

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A Young Sarah seating upon a chair with a flute in her hands as she was dressed in a fancy dress.

Chapter Eight

Training Days

The Life the Girl Left Behind

 _Flashback_

 _The large music room was filled with sunlight steaming into the room. I was dressed in a blue dress seating upon one of the chair while I was playing the flute thought not at the skill level that Miss Borgia wanted me to. The severe looking older woman was pacing in front of me as I was playing the notes in front of me, her baton lightly moving up and down as she was following along with the music until I played one note too long and she raised a hand stopping me._

 _"You are making the same mistake as usual Sarah," Miss Borgia spoke out, her frown making her look even more severe than before, "Have you been practicing as I instructed you to."_

 _I lowered the expensive looking flute down to my lap._

 _"I have miss," I said, not meeting her eyes._

 _"While you have improved a bit since our last lesson," Miss Borgia spoke out, "There is still a lot of room for progress. But since you have a birthday party in a few hours, I would guess that stopping your lesson for today."_

 _I nodded remembering that later tonight would be my cousin's birthday. It was the one thing that my aunt, Charlotte was talking about for weeks now and how many of his friends were going to be there and other things. More than ever, they wanted to celebrate it here, in my home which had a big ballroom downstairs. I stood up from the chair I was on for the past hour since I entered this room before giving the woman a light bow._

 _"Thank you for the lesson Miss Borgia," I said softly._

 _"We will see each other next week Sarah," was the curt answer I received._

 _I turned away from her, walking out of the room and into the long hallway heading straight toward my room, clutching the flute case in my hand. To be honest, I hated the flute and hated everything about it. I hadn't practiced it as much as Miss Borgia told me to and there was a time I wanted to throw it out of the window of my room, just to spite the older woman…but I didn't._

 _Because it was my mother who brought it for me._

 _And I wanted to please her because out of both of my parents, she was the one who was always kind and loving to me. My father, however, was strange about it, thought I didn't really understand as to why he was so strange to me. As my father, I would have expected him to be just as kind as mother was, but that wasn't the case at all._

 _He will always look at me like I was a burden to him…_

 _And I never understood why…_

 _End of flashback_

I shook the memory from my mind. I was no longer that same little girl who was always yearning for that man's love. I was a Cadet, a soldier training to become part of the Survey Corps. I didn't need them anymore.

"You're Sarah, aren't you?" the woman, Charlotte said her eyes wide with surprise, but I could also see the amazement within them like she hadn't expected to ever see me again.

"I'm sorry, but you have me confused with someone else," I answered, my tone glacial.

With that single line, I turned away from the trio, making my way forward with the rest of the group. There was silence around us for a few moments, before someone caught up to me and from her breathing I can already tell that it was Narissa.

"Are you okay?" she asked, concern in her tone.

"I'm fine," I told her simply.

Narissa let out a soft hum at that. I knew I was being unusually short with her compared to how caring I usually am, and I wanted to apologize but I couldn't. The old feelings I managed to bury back before I joined the Cadet were now bursting forth and I can't deal with that shit right now…not when we needed to be on top form for the Trost Training.

"When you're ready," Narissa said, "Then you can talk to me."

The young woman placed a hand upon my shoulder as she said that, and I know that she meant for them to be comforting and I appreciate the thought. As we made our way toward headquarters, I found myself thinking back to the trio I had seen just earlier. What were they doing in Trost anyway? Not that I knew much about my father's side of the family at all other than his sister Charlotte, her husband and son. I knew that I had a grandfather from my father's side as well, but I had never met him thought, from the way my father spoke of him give me some hint that the man was still alive, and I didn't even know where he lived, thought I had simply assumed that he was in Mitras somewhere.

Trost Headquarter was huge. Tall strong walls with many towers expending high above us as we entered through it's gate. They were already many Garrison soldiers present as they were wondering around with a gun upon their shoulders while they were others that had ODM gears on. Shadis who was with us during the regiment had taken us to where we will be staying, the barracks there looking much better than the ones I was used to, but I will take the luxury as much as I can now.

Narissa and I found bunkbed to place our stuff in and I noticed Krista and Ymir finding another for themselves. These two had gotten really close ever since Krista was almost kidnapped during a training exercise last year. While I wasn't part of group that had been with them, I already heard the story from Armin despite the many rumors that had sprung from it. As I was placing my stuff there, I could feel Narissa's eyes upon my form, probably wanting to speak to me about what was going on earlier with the people that greeted me but, I didn't meet her eyes.

Narissa didn't probe me for information or trying to bring up meaningless conversation and I appreciate it. I didn't want to lose my temper against her and strain our friendship even more. After that, we were given ample time to explore headquarter at best we could and the gas station where we could replenish our gas as much as we want. It was much bigger than the one we had back at the training grounds, but it was still the same technic used to replenish our tanks. Because of the time we arrived in Trost, we were given the rest of the day off meaning that tomorrow we will be taking over Trost for the training simulation we were going to have.

While most of our instructors were busy working throughout the city along with the Garrison Regiment to get everything ready for us tomorrow, many of us were given time out to get prepared for what was going to happen tomorrow and I simply decided to stay by myself and have a few moments alone. So, here I was seating by myself, the late afternoon sun casting an orange glow around my body as I was looking out toward the large city of Trost expending in front of me, getting lost in my memories yet again…

 _Flashback_

 _The party was okay I guess._

 _I stayed mostly beside my mother who held my hand most of the time as she was conversing with another invitee of my cousin's birthday. I didn't speak to anyone while I was here, and my father barely acknowledge me and my mother. The only time we were ever together was when we first entered to make an impression of a united family front, but a front was all that it was._

 _A front._

" _Are you going to stay with me the entire time Sarah?"_

 _I blinked, looking up toward my mother's kind features. Her golden eyes were shining with concern and yet there was this layer of amusement within her gaze. I can feel my cheeks warming at the attention, turning my head away from her._

" _Yes,"_

" _You know, you won't make any friends if you don't talk to anyone," my mother told me with a light chuckle in her voice, "You have kids your age here."_

" _But they're all Caleb's friends," I told her, "I never even spoke to them yet."_

 _My mother placed a small box in my vision, I stared at the box, completely wrapped. I stared at it for a few moments, in confusion before I looked back up her._

" _Then here is your chance," she said, "How about you go and give him this for me."_

" _Mom…," I said pouting lightly._

" _C'mon, Sarah," she said, "Do it…for me."_

 _I let out a small sigh._

" _Okay, I will."_

 _She gives me that same bright smile before placing the present in my hands. I took hold of it before making my way toward where Caleb and his friends were. Caleb and I weren't friends since we barely even spoke to one another. I never bothered to talk to him since he was always around auntie Charlotte, and the woman while she wasn't as weird as my father is around me, it's like she put up her guard around me or something. I made my way toward the direction of where the young man was. Caleb shared the same hair color that I do, but he was a little pudgy around the cheeks as he was dressed in a small suit for his form. His hair was short, but his eyes were the same dark brown as his father, and when I was approaching toward him, the young man instantly looking at me drawing the attention of his friends that were around him._

" _Hey, Caleb it's your creepy cousin."_

 _I could feel a stab of anger at what the other guy said but I didn't only keep my attention upon Caleb who was looking at me. There was confusion upon his face._

" _What do you want?" he asked, a little bit rudely._

" _Your present," I told him simply extending it toward him._

 _Caleb looked at the box before taking it from me and placed it on the table that was near him without even giving it a backward glance. As soon as he was done, he simply went back to ignoring me like I wasn't even there and walking away with his friends. I opened my mouth to talk but…nothing ever came out from within my lips._

 _I simply turned away from him._

 _End of Flashback_

I let out a small sigh from my lips.

 _I spent three years without thinking about them at all,_ I thought, _and yet, after just meeting them…the memories just keep coming back to me._

It was much easier to pretend they didn't exist when I was so far away from them. When my father didn't come back to look for me, I simply decided to leave him behind as well, taking Maria's last name and discarding the one that I was born with. I didn't want to be recognized as someone that came from the noble of Mitras, but as Sarah Gray, the fugitive from Shingashina District.

"Sarah?"

The familiar voice drew my attention and standing there surprisingly by herself was none other than Mikasa Ackerman. The dark-haired girl was still dressed in her uniform, thought the familiar red scarf was still placed around her neck. It was a mystery as to the origin of that scarf thought looking at it, it was an old one. The young girl was looking at me with surprise in her obsidian eyes.

"Mikasa?" I said surprised, "W…What are you doing here?"

"I was going to look for Eren," the girl answered me approaching until she was standing beside where I was seating down, "And I saw you there by yourself and it made me think there was something wrong."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What makes you think that something is wrong?"

"Narissa isn't with you," was Mikasa's answer.

I returned my gaze toward the ground.

"I…I was just thinking about the past," I told her, "About how I ended up here joining the Cadets."

Mikasa stayed silent for a few moments as she stayed standing for a few moments before taking a seat down beside me. I didn't even look at her, still lost in the past within my mind. I had never really thought much about the past much at all, as I was completely focused on mastering the ODM gear, so that I could become a member of the Scouting Regiment.

"You're having second thoughts?" Mikasa asked.

"No…it's not that," I told her, "It's just…I ran into someone that I'd rather forget even existed."

Mikasa stayed silent beside me, probably waiting for me to continue my thoughts.

"Mikasa," I said, "How would you feel if someone had left you behind…someone that was supposed to protect you never looked back at you again?"

The dark-haired girl stayed silent, thinking about my question probably.

"I would protect those I have left," she answered me.

I glanced at her. Mikasa wasn't looking at me at all, but her attention was fixed upon the horizon, giving me free reign to really look at her. Her skin was fully lightened up by the red sunlight looking as bright as a gem. Her lips were a soft rosy pink, the color enhanced by the sunlight as her midnight black hair fell around her head. Then her eyes turned toward me but there was something more in those eyes, something that made me realized that Mikasa probably had gone through something like that as well…

We are more alike than I thought.

"Say, Mikasa," I asked her, "What do you know about the Ackerman family?"

The girl blinked in surprised at me.

"Why?"

"It's just…I heard some rumors about a family called the Ackerman before," I told her, "It makes me wonder if they were part of your family too."

Mikasa seems to think about it for a little bit.

"my father didn't speak much about his family," she said, "But what I do know is that they were persecuted for something…at least as much I have gathered. Is that what you've heard?"

I nodded.

"Do you know why?" Mikasa asked, leaning toward me.

I let out a small sigh, "All I heard was that the Royal Government was against them…thought, I doubt it matters anymore since many people believe that they were all dead. I thought so as well, until I met you."

Mikasa fell silent at that, but I can tell that it was mulling over her head. I raised a hand before placing it upon her shoulder, drawing her eyes toward me.

"It's nothing for you to worry about," I told her, "I doubt anything will happen since you don't live in the capital. Anyway, it's been years since then so things won't probably go like that at all. I didn't mean to worry you at all you know."

Mikasa didn't say anything but, she give me a light smile. I was glad that I managed to speak to her about this despite how worried I was about actually talking about it to her. Despite how intimidating Mikasa Ackerman can be, I sometimes forget that underneath it all, she is just a teenage girl…just like I was. She can be focused, and intense but she was still a teenage girl…

 _Armin can be adorable…there is Marco who is a sweet guy and then there is Eren and Mikasa…_

The memory of that night in the girl's dorm sprung into my mind as well as the phrase that I couldn't finish in my surprise about what I was about to reveal to them all. I removed my hand from her shoulder and then stood up from where I was seating. I may not have realized it yet, but in the back of my mind it was something that I knew…something that I didn't consciously acknowledge but was there…

I give her a glance.

"How about I help you look for Eren?" I told her, "Maybe if I see Narissa, I'll be able to talk to her again."

Mikasa give me a light nod and let me help her stand up. She was heavier than I thought she would be, but then again, she was the strongest in our class and they were already brewing that she might ended up the top of our year.

Both Mikasa and I walked together making our way back toward the main courtyard of Headquarters. There were a few Cadets milling around and sure enough, there was Eren and he was with Reiner and Berthold again. The two were discussing something from the looks of it and as we approached, Reiner was the one who caught sight of us and waved.

"Here he is," I told her, "Seems he wasn't too far ahead at all."

"He never is," Mikasa said softly, her face softening considerably as she was looking at the young man.

I glanced at Eren for a few moments.

"There is something I never understood," I spoke out drawing her eyes at me, "How come Eren call you his sister when you have different last names?"

"His family adopted me when I was young," was all she said to me.

I caught sight of Narissa along with Mina heading toward the mess hall so bid the girl a soft "see you later" before making my way toward the two. Narissa was the one who caught me approaching so she instantly stopped talking, straightening up.

"Hey Narissa," I said, "Can we talk?"

Narissa had a smile growing upon her face at that.

"Sure," she said, "Mina, we'll see you later okay."

Mina must have understood there was something going on for she readily agreed. Narissa pulled me away and the two of us walked together for a few moments.

"Are you going to tell me who the people from earlier today where?"

I stayed silent for a few moments.

"They were…my family," I answered her.

Narissa glanced back at me, surprised.

"Wait...what?"

I looked away.

"They're from my father's side of the family," I told her, "Gray isn't the name I was born with…it was my mother's maiden name."

Narissa looked at me, confused.

"But if they are your family…then why?"

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking back to my home back in Mitras and how my father was around me.

"I didn't have the best relationship with my father," I told her, "After the Fall of Wall Maria and the death of my mother…I was taken in by my mother's sister and her husband. My father never came to look for me in the refugees' camp, or at least tried and with how our relationship was…I never bothered to return home."

I thought back to both Maria and Kyle.

"They were more of a parent to me than my father ever was," I continued, "and when my aunt died, I joined the Cadet wanting to do something more with my life than working the fields."

Narissa stayed silent for a moment.

"Then the woman from earlier today…?"

"My father's sister," I said, "They probably thought I died when the Wall fell…until I ran into them today."

"Well, that was a pretty big thing you were keeping," she said, "Are you…going to talk to them at all?"

"Should I?" I asked her.

Narissa let out a small hum.

"You may not have a good relationship with you dad," she said, "They are still your family. It might be good to actually talk to them again you know."

I stayed silent in my thoughts and no words were exchanged between us anymore.

* * *

The Trost training was an experience.

As soon as we were ready, the bells of the city had started to echo everywhere as most people were getting evacuated from the city. I was dressed in my uniform, gas tanks full along with my blades. Earlier today, we were pushed forward into the middle guard were most of the recruits were placed if such a situation ever take place as most of the advanced team was around the Trost Gate. Since it was only a simulation training, then the real events, everything went smoothly as most of the teams were launched into combat with the Dummy Titans and because of habit I found myself adding a little bit of flair with my spinning movements as I took down Dummy Titans after Dummy Titans, all the while directing the member of my teams.

Since Annie and Marco wasn't part our team, Hannah and Franz had joined us. Franz was a tall young man, that would give Bertholdt a run for his money as the tallest guy in the 104th. The two had good chemistry as they were fighting against the Dummy Titans and since they were a couple, it was not a trouble at all.

All in all, the training had gone well thought now that I knew Samuel had a crush on me, it was becoming really clear to me now compared to before I had only thought that he was being considerate and now that I know of his feelings…our interaction had become kind of awkward even thought I still consider him a good friend.

Mikasa dominated the Dummy training, as usual, but I did better than I thought ranking among Annie and the others thought Shadis gave me an earful about my flares, but I didn't let it get to me. I didn't see Charlotte and her family again in the few days I stayed in Trost, but I knew it wasn't long before my father became aware of my existence again.

* * *

 **NO POV**

 **Mitras**

The sight of that girl a few days ago was still mulling in Charlotte's mind. She had honestly believed that both Rose and her daughter had perished during the Fall of the Wall. Since her brother didn't look for her, Charlotte had some friends keep an eye out for the girl but no one by the name of Sarah Reyne had turned up within her search at all and since Rose Reyne had been placed in the casualty list, she had only thought that the girl had perished along her but then…the young woman she had seen in Trost a few days ago in the military uniform.

The girl was the spitting image of Rose and those amber eyes of hers…Charlotte doesn't think she would ever forget that color shade ever since she first saw it in that girl's eyes. If she was alive, then, why didn't she come back or _what was she doing being part of the Cadets?_

Sarah Reyne was part of the Military, something that surprised Charlotte. She had never thought that the girl had it in her and if she was a Cadet that mean she must have enlisted two years after Wall Maria fell and had been part of the Cadet for a full year already…

She reached the room she had been going to and entered inside. Her brother was seating at his desk, looking over documents when she entered. The man looked up at her blinking at the sight of her not having expected to see her here again.

"Charlotte," he said surprised, "I wasn't expecting you to visit…."

"She is alive," Charlotte cut across him.

The man blinked in confusion.

"What?"

"Leon Reyne," she said, "Rose's daughter is alive."

The man, Leon had a shocked look upon his features.

"What? Where?"

"I saw her in Trost a few days ago," Charlotte said, "She was part of the Cadet Corps. She looks just like her mother…the daughter you abandoned is still alive. Doesn't that make you feel like a shitty father yet?"

"She is not my daughter," Leon said, "Sarah Reyne died three years ago when Wall Maria fell."

Charlotte looked at him for a few moments.

"Then hope that this doesn't come to bite you in the ass in the future," she said.

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Graduation

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	9. Graduation

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah, Mikasa, Eren and Armin seating together as they stared toward the Wall in the distance.

Chapter Nine

Training Days

Graduation

Yelling out, I slammed the axe I was using into the wood that I was cutting. Letting out a small huff, I pulled my hair back removing the sweat that was pouring down upon my forehead. It had been some time since Maria had given me that strange injection in the back of my nape and yet nothing had happened yet. Other than the strange images that had gotten the first time when I gained it, there was nothing else at all.

I placed the axe I was using on the ground before turning my attention toward the pile that I had seating on the side of the area. I had enough firewood to last us for some time, so I picked them up in a bag that I had in the corner before making my way toward the humble house we have been staying since the Fall of Wall Maria. I was thinking of joining the Cadet classes which will be starting later this year and it was a decision that I had in my mind ever since I understood what type of the world I lived in. I can't always rely on someone else to come and save me. I need to learn to save myself first.

And if I wanted to fight against the Titans….i needed to learn on how to kill them and there was only one way to do something like that. To join the military and become part of the Scouting Legion, just like Uncle Markus had done many years previously.

 _But can I do it?_

No, no more self doubt, I reasoned, shaking my head, _I will do it._

I reached the home and entered inside of it, finding Kyle already working on diner. The man had become kind of a father to me in the year I have lived with him and looking at him make me think of my own father who had abandoned me. I still don't fully understand it yet, however, I will life my life as I saw fit, and no one would ever make me feel like I did when my mother died again.

Seeing me enter, Kyle threw me a small smile.

"Hey, you're back," he said, "You've been gone for a few hours."

I made my way toward the large container where we usually placed the firewood, emptying the bag that I had upon my back.

"I had to work deeper in the woods," I told him, "I think we might have enough firewood for a few months."

"Thanks," Kyle told me with a small smile, "I was planning on doing that in the coming days but…thanks again Sarah."

I give him a small smile.

"It's no problem," I told him, "Maria isn't up yet."

He shook his head, but I could tell that he was worried about his wife. Ever since she had given me the injection from that needle her health had taken a turn for the worse. She was always pale and sickly these days and her hair had completely lost its color entirely, having been bleached completely white. She also looked far older as well for a woman who was merely in her mid thirties, she looked to be in her fifties. It makes me wonder if her sudden apparent aging had been part of giving up the power.

I nodded at him before making my way toward where their room was. I knocked on the door to announce my presence before opening it, poking my head inside. Maria was awake and was looking out at the window where the late afternoon sun was slowly starting to set down. She seems to be lost in thoughts as I slowly approached toward her and it was when I took a seat upon the bed, she turned her head toward me.

"Sarah," she smiled lightly.

"Are you feeling okay today?" I asked her.

"I feel better already," she said with a light smile as she observed me, her golden eyes looking tired, "How about you Sarah?"

I looked away for a few moments.

"I…I want to join the Military later this year," I told her softly, meeting her eyes again.

There was a sudden awareness within Maria at this. The tiredness that was always around her seems to have faded away and for a moment, I was glimpsing the Maria who had carried me away from the disaster of Shingashina when I was nothing but a young child.

"You told me that I could fight once I have that power," I continued, meeting her eyes, "What better ways to fight rather than learn how to kill Titans?"

"Not all battles are won by fighting Titans Sarah," she told me and there was a strange weight behind her words, an apprehension that had settled within my gut, "But I feel that your mind has been made up with this idea, or you wouldn't have brought it up."

I nodded.

"Then I won't stop you," she said, "Is everything alright? Ever since I had given you the injection, you have been quiet."

I thought about it for a few moments.

"When you first gained the powers…did you see anything?" I asked her.

Maria let out a soft hum.

"All I saw was shadows," she said, "the shadows of a mountain covered in snow. It was the only image that was always clear within my mind despite the many years since I gained it…however, I have learned to transform on my own."

I stared at her.

"Transform?" I repeated.

Maria nodded.

"I did," she said, "It's quite easier than you might realize…A wound, as well as a goal is needed for the transformation. However, I wouldn't advice you to try it yet…not while I am still alive anyway. The transformation power is still within me."

I stared at her.

"Then…what was that injection for anyway?"

Maria stayed silent for a moment.

"I asked my own father that same question when I was injected in my youth," she said, "He told me that the injection serve more like a guide for the power. It's one of the reason why I mixed my blood with the serum I give you. Because of the blood connection between us, when I pass on…it will be the first time you will transform unwillingly."

"I….I will transform into a Titan?" I said shocked.

Maria nodded.

"Don't worry, the both of us will known when I am going to pass on," she told me with a small smile upon her lips, "We still yet have time for that."

I nodded at her. There was still time before Maria will pass on.

 _However, what I didn't know at the time that just one week later, Maria will die._

* * *

 **Present Day**

 **Year 850**

With Graduation Day quickly approaching, our teachers have started to break down upon us as the training had become even tougher than normal. With how tough everything had become, they have been some people who quit saying that it was too much for them, and there were times that I was right along with them thinking that I would quick as well, but I powered through it just like before knowing that I had a goal in mind.

I joined the Cadets to learn how to kill Titans and I would be spitting upon my promise to Maria to fight if I just give up now. So, despite the pain that I was enduring, and how much my body was hurting when training was completed every night. I always wake up early in the morning so that I could have some extra training done.

And that was where I was now, with the sun slowly starting to rise in the air I was doing some laps around the large training area so that I could get my blood flowing early this morning. They were some people around who were on guard duties and I waved a hand at them as I passed the tower and I swore I got some waves back, probably recognizing me from the many times I have done this over the months of training. While I wasn't aiming for the Top Ten of the class, I was still high on the list as they have been murmuring about who will be among the Top ten.

Mikasa was a sure candidate considering the girl was just that good at everything. Speaking of Mikasa, ever since our talk during the Trost training, we somehow became friends. While Mikasa was never someone to seek out friendships among the group, she somehow became a friend to me and whenever she wasn't with Eren or Armin, she would seek me out. I didn't know what I had done to gain something like that from her, but I held on to it.

Later today we were going to have our ODM evaluation, and I was looking forward to that. If there was one thing I was sure I was going to excel in would be this. While Jean Kirstein led the class with how good he was at the gear, everyone said that I was the second best at it at maneuver. With how I calculated everything and worked my ass off to learn to use it, I was damn proud of it.

When I was done with my morning work-out, I went for a quick shower before dressing up in my uniform and by the time I reached the mess hall, the room was slowly filled up with the other Cadets all of them talking about the evaluation later today. They weren't that much people left now, with people dropping out from the training and as morbid as it was to say, there was even some deaths as well, two guys and a girl that I used to see around them. Narissa had joined me as well as Hannah, the two other friends that I had formed strong bonds with as well as Mina Carolina. We have become a close group over the years we spent training and I was grateful to have made friends with them all.

"Ready for today Sarah?" Mina asked me with a small grin.

"Of course, she is ready," Hannah said, "She is the best in the class at ODM."

I let out a small hum.

"I am looking forward to what I can do out there," I said, "Thought I doubt I'll do as well as Mikasa."

"Well, we can't all be superhuman now can we?" Narissa said, "I don't get as to why you're always comparing yourself to her. To the rest of us, what you can pull with that ODM, we wouldn't even dream of doing and yet, you're doing them almost everyday."

I nodded.

"I guess I do compare myself to her a little bit, don't I?"

"More like every time you do something," Mina sighed, "I will be lucky to make the cut at all."

At that moment, Mikasa entered along with Eren and Armin. I couldn't help the small grin growing upon my lips at the sight of them. These three really do come as a set, don't they? They were talking about something or the other and were completely adsorbed in their talk. I took a moment to observe them for a few moment before I focused upon the task that was set out for me today.

I will need to score high in today's test to pass and I knew I was going to do it.

Later today, I was strapped with my gear and was waiting along with the rest of the usual team, that worked with me. Samuel looked a bit nervous but at least he was confident. Marco looked a little pale as well and Armin had even joined us today. I give him a grin when I noticed him part of our group.

"Hey Armin," I greeted with wave, "Thanks for joining us."

"I'm glad," the young man said.

"Alright, Team Gray set out," an instructor yelled out, "Know that you will be graded on how well you attack a Titan's nape."

I turned toward the group with me. Narissa, Samuel, Marco, Armin.

"C"mon guys let's go and ace this thing," I yelled at them.

We all launched forward and soon enough I was flying through the trees, launching hook after hook forward as I glided forward and releasing the necessary gas needed for movement, my eyes searching through the trees until I came to find a Dummy Titan. With my swords out, I launched forward aiming straight for the nape and with a flash I sliced through it, leaving a deep gash at the center of the nape.

 _Nice,_ I thought, _Keep moving and find more to strike down._

Spinning my body around I launched a hook and using the single line to swung me around the tree as I moved forward almost like I was swinging upon a rope and then with another spin with a side and aiming the launcher, I launched my hook high before rising into the air, finding another Dummy Titan there and someone had already attacked but that didn't stop me for a I was already upon it leaving another deep gash upon the nape.

I continued like this for another few minutes before I found Narissa ahead of me. The girl was flying thought she was quite graceful in her movement and with a slice, she managed to strike a Dummy with a nice cut.

"Nice one," I yelled out to her.

She turned her head at the sound of my voice before flashing me a grin before moving on ahead. I made my way straight toward another Dummy Titan but this time instead of attacking the nape, I aimed low for the ankle leaving a good slice at the bottom of it, before puling myself upward again. I was moving through the air, the wind in my hair and I had a giant grin upon my lips as I continued to run move forward.

I was acing this.

 _Not long to wait now,_ I thought, _When I graduate…wait for the Scouting Regiment, you've got an ace heading your way._

And with that thought, I launched forward again, and I sliced a Titan's nape with my swords again, cutting it so deep that splinters flew out of it, damaging my swords. I winced at the sight of the pairing blades in front of me.

 _Shit…Shadis is going to take some point off for that…Need to control the strength I put into these things…._

I always got too overexcited in this training thought. It's no wonder I always added a little flair in my movement…

 _C'mon Sarah stay focused._

Changing my blades, I started off again, aiming straight forward wanting to gain as much point as I wanted.

* * *

I leaned sideway dodging the attack before taking hold of the young man's hand and at the same time, went for the leg causing him to fall upon the ground on his front, the wooden dagger in my hand. Samuel let out a small groan of pain as he pulled himself up.

"Not bad," he said, "But it's best to not give your back to your opponent, never know if he wouldn't have another weapon on him."

I nodded at him, before staring at the wooden dagger.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I just don't think hand to hand combat is going to count much in our final grades," I told him, "I mean, most people simply blow it off."

"Well that's what they're grading us on," the young man said with a light shrug of his shoulders, "I don't think we got a choice in it at all."

I nodded.

"I'm going to take a water break," I told him, "Find another partner okay."

I tossed him the wooden dagger as I said so and he nodded, thought he seemed to be curious about me. Hand to hand combat won't really match up well for our final grades so even if I do well here, it won't matter. ODM training is the meat of this entire thing altogether so the best you are at the ODM gears, you will be placed in the Top Ten.

And yet…

I drunk from the bottle that I had before placing it down.

 _The MPs only take the Top Ten Cadets,_ I thought, _Then…what was the point of learning to be the best if you're just going to waste that training all together?_

"Water break Sarah?"

I glanced at the voice finding Mikasa there.

"Oh…Hey Mikasa," I greeted her with a light smile, "I'm surprise you're here. Weren't you fighting against Krista or something?"

"I was," the girl answered, "But Ymir seems all to be happy to switch partner."

I turned my gaze toward where she was looking at and found the duo, thought it seems Ymir was bullying the smaller girl rather than helping her. Their relationship was strange considering how much of a polite opposite they were, thought something about Krista always drew my attention…almost like a sense of familiarity. I knew I never met her before joining the Cadets, so I couldn't really explain it.

Same with Ymir…

"She seems to be bullying her than helping her," I said with a light chuckle, "Want a sip."

"Thanks," Mikasa said taking the container form me and drinking from it and when she was done she returned it to me.

"Is something the matter?" she asked, "You seems…down?"

"It's just…hand to hand combat," I told her, "It won't count as much in our final grades, so I wasn't really into the training…while it's good and all to know how to fight, however, it's not like Titans are human sized you know."

Mikasa stayed silent.

"It doesn't mean you won't get to fight against people," she told me.

"That's true," I admitted, "But as a member of the Scouts…I really didn't plan on picking fight with people."

Mikasa glanced at me, "That's your goal then…the join the Scouts, but why would you want to join them?"

I stayed silent for a few moments.

"I made a promise to my aunt," I told her, "That I would stand and fight rather than wait to die behind a Wall without ever seeing what's it's like out there…tell me Mikasa, you never wondered what's out there?"

The girl stayed silent for a moment.

"Armin used to have a book about the outside world," Mikasa answered, "Him and Eren used to talk about for hours on end."

I stared at her shocked.

"He did?" I said surprised, "I'm surprised he even had something like that considering that things like that are illegal."

Mikasa's eyes seems to be lost in thoughts for a few moments.

"I wouldn't say that I was not ever curious about the world beyond the walls," she said, "But it didn't seem to be worth it, knowing Titans reside out there as well."

I let out a small smile.

"Nothing worth doing ever is."

She stared at me and there was that searching look in her gaze once more. I something caught her giving those looks before in the few days since we started our friendship. It was like she was trying to figure me out whenever she looked at me like that.

"You're not scared, are you?" she said after a while, "of the Titans?"

I let out a small laugh.

"If you asked me that question five years ago, I would have told you that I was terrified…but despite me still having some fear…I mostly feel angry at them."

I placed a hand upon her shoulder, "C'mon, let's go back to it, worst that Shadis won't catch us slacking off."

Mikasa give me a nod and she followed me.

Fighting against her was a treat since she was the strongest in the class. While I managed to get the upper hand a few times, Mikasa mostly dominated our sparing session taking the dagger from me as easily as if I had simply given it to her. I hadn't gotten too injured in the training, but it was still good to be able to fight against her. Mikasa can get laser focused on something so quickly that it was terrifying, and yet, it was exhilarating at the same time.

Beautiful and deadly was something that perfectly described Mikasa when she was on the battlefield and I was glad to have her as a comrade, however, Mikasa had a glaring weakness that anyone who spent enough time with her will notice almost immediately.

Her overprotectiveness over her adoptive brother Eren Yeager. Any one could tell that this boy was Mikasa's whole world with how focused she can be on him and I don't want to think of how broken Mikasa would be if anything were to happen to this boy…

I don't think I ever wanted to see something like that upon her face…

* * *

 **Day of Graduation**

 **Trost District**

The entire southern 104th class was gathered in the courtyard of Headquarters as we were all standing strong and proud for having finished the training. I was standing among the rest of the group as the top then Cadets were standing right in front of us.

"Do you have heart?"

"Sir," we all echoed as we saluted the instructors that were standing in front of us.

"As of this moment, you have three options in front of you," the man called out, "Choose wisely. The Garrison Regiment, who's job is to reinforce the Walls. The Scout Regiment, who rides out in Titan countries to take back lands that was once ours and the Military Police, maintaining law and order under his Royal Majesty…the Cadets allegedly for the MPs have already been named take a good look _these are the top of our Class."_

Ten students stood in front of the rest of us. As many of us has expected, Mikasa was the top Cadet in the entire class and I couldn't help but feel a smirk coming on as I looked at her back. Despite not being in the top then I was number eleventh in the class, so I wasn't really all that bad to tell you the truth.

Later, the rest of the Cadets went to celebrate for the night thought tomorrow we will honestly be set out around Trost to keep the peace. Narissa was laughing to herself as she was chugging one down as we were all in civilian clothing for the party.

"I guess it's Garrison for me," she said, "While it would have been nice to join the MPs, however, with how badly I was doing in class…I expected you to be in the top ten, with how good you are with your ODM gear."

"Well that's not the only thing they were testing for isn't it?" I told her, "I am eleventh in the class thought so not too bad at all."

Narissa only laughed at me, "I'm going to have to write to my dad tomorrow morning…and we are on duty as well, anyway, it's going to be pretty much guaranteed the job I will be doing is taking care of Wall Rose while you head for the Scouts…"

"ARE YOU INSANE?" a voice shouted, quieting the conversations that were going around us. I instantly turned my attention toward where it came from finding Eren, Mikasa and Armin there along with Samuel and Thomas and a few others.

"Think of how many people have died," Thomas continued, "We're talking about a fifth of the population here. If that doesn't paint a picture for you, I don't know what wills. This is our life now, we can't beat them."

I can feel a flash of anger rising through me at the sentiment. While realistically speaking, there is no way of defeating the Titans as we were. So many people have died fighting against them and even the Scouts, the people who were better suited to fight against the Titans and yet, their lost were staggering.

"So what?" Eren argued, "We buckle, and take it all lying down. Things have changed, maybe not by a whole lot but enough. They aren't the mystery they were five years ago. There is still a long way to go but we've made progress. Every battle we've lost taught us a lesson, give us the time to fight and walk toward something like hope. You're telling me it's better to cut off our loses, _let all the death and destruction be meaningless?_ Just to buckle down and accept it?"

Eren seems to get angrier and angrier as he spoke, raising his hand into a fist.

" _NOT ON YOUR LIFE,"_ he growled, "Humanity's future lies outside of these Walls, and I'm going to clear the way. I'm going to take back what was ours and I'll drive them all out and as long as one of us can still say that, _we're not done."_

I couldn't help but smile at the words. It may not be the same as what Maria had told me all those years ago, but it the feelings that Eren was feeling right now are the same that made me realized what the world really was.

There was nothing else to do rather than stand and fight for what you believed in.

Eren had ran off after that, Mikasa and Armin following him shortly after.

"There is that passion of his you liked so much," Narissa said.

I placed my drink upon the table.

"I'll be right back," I told her.

Narissa nodded at me and I walked out of the hall and into the night outside. The sky out there was quite pretty with how bright the stars were above me. I smiled at it for a few moments before glancing around for a few moments searching for the people that I was seeking. I had taken a seat upon an empty area before pulling out my flute and started to play a song that my mother loved to hear. It was supposed to play with accompanying instruments, but I was only playing my flute part. I simply closed my eyes and losing myself to the song completely and when I was done, I found that I was no longer alone as Eren, Armin and Mikasa where there looking at me with surprise in their eyes.

"Sarah?" she said surprised.

"Wow, I never heard you play before," Armin said, "You're really good."

"Hey guys," I smiled, lowering the flute from my lips, "Nice speech back there Eren. It's nice to see that passion of yours haven't diminished one bit thought."

The boy seems to be embarrassed for a moment at the compliment and Armin let out a small laugh.

"Sarah, you're joining the Scouts, right?" he asked me.

I nodded at him. "Yeah, same as you."

"You know, you never told us why you wanted to join the Scouts," Armin told me.

The group seated around me when Armin asked the question. I slowly fingered the flute that was in my hand as I thought back to everything that had started five years ago…

"I don't want to bring up bad memories for you guys," I told them, "I know you're all from Shingashina…"

"Just tell us," Eren bluntly said.

Mikasa give him a pat on the head for his rudeness, a gesture I appreciated. I let out a small hum.

"I was there that day you know," I said, "When the Colossal Titan appeared."

There was a silence.

" _Seriously_?" Eren said shocked.

"You're from _Shingashina_?" Armin said shocked.

Even Mikasa had surprised upon her features as she was observing me. I chuckled shaking my head.

"No, I'm not from Shingashina like you three," I said, "I was simply visiting my aunt that day along with my mother. I was originally from the capital and since…anyway, my mom decided to visit her sister who happened to live in Shingashina…so I went with her since I was her only daughter."

I stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about that day.

"I survived beyond that day only thanks to my aunt and her husband," I said softly, "and I was a broken…unable to do anything but wait for someone to come and rescue me…however, my aunt told something that changed my world completely."

I looked up at the trio in front of me.

"She told me that wishing for someone to save me isn't going to change anything. That all I can do is stand up on my own two feet and fight because this world… _is cruel."_

Mikasa seems to take a sharp intake of breath at my words while Eren was looking at me like he was seeing me through new eyes. Armin was looking at me with amazement in his eyes. I let out a small chuckle.

"Thought…I also wanted to know what the world is like beyond these walls," I said my eyes fixed upon Wall Rose in the distance thought it was only visible thanks to the light of the moon above us.

"Then as Scouts," Eren said his eyes fixed upon the Wall as well, "We'll be seeing it all."

I smiled lightly and for the first time in a long while, I felt optimistic about the future.

* * *

 **So ends the Training Days Arc. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far, as for the next chapter begin the Trost Arc...**

 **Next Time:** The Returning Nightmare

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	10. The returning Nightmare

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far and thanks for the reviews last chapter.**

 **Anyway, here is the latest chapter as the prelude to the Trost Arc so enjoy...**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah dressed in her uniform as the green flag of Wall Rose danced behind her as she was saluting.

Chapter Ten

The Returning Nightmare

 **The next day**

The following morning, it was quite an ordinary day. The sky was such a bright blue that they were scarcely any clouds visible upon it. Headquarters was full swing of movement as many of the Cadets were moving on upon their assignment for today. I was pulling my jacket on, as it was probably the last days I would spend wearing the jacket of the Cadet Corps. Tomorrow by this time, I would be joining the Scouting Regiment and made the first steps about moving forward with my goal of fighting against the Titans.

I had packed most of the clothing that I had in bags so that they would be ready to be shipped to the Scout Headquarters when I finally made my way to join them. I let out a breath as I realized that it would possibly the last time I would be seeing many of the Cadets I have been serving with for the past three years. It would be strange not seeing them around anymore and thinking about them, somehow, I find myself thinking about Samuel.

The young man, despite not returning his feelings for me, had become a good friend of mine and I realized that I didn't know which Regiment he was planning to join. I had an idea about some of the people with me but, I didn't know any of the others yet. I should probably find Narissa and talk to her about it again today. When I was done dressing, I made my way out the Cadet barracks at Headquarters and heading straight toward the mess hall for my breakfast before we were deployed to our duties around Trost District.

The Garrison Regiment had decided to put many of us to work since we didn't have a designed place in the military yet. That would probably give many of the Cadets that would be joining the Garrison something to do and familiarize themselves at the work they are probably going to get used to, thought I think it was just giving us the grunt work that our superiors were supposed to do, after all, we were only Cadets.

The mess hall was filled with many people and I waved good morning to the few faces I recognized and it didn't take long for me to find Narissa since she was with Hannah and Mina the usual gals. I made my way toward them and took seat beside the girls. Hannah give him a small smile which I returned as I decided to start placing food upon my mouth.

"Oh, hey Sarah," Narissa greeted me with a pat on the shoulder, "Say did they put you in a squad yet?"

I shook my head since my mouth was full of food.

"They placed me in one already," Narissa said, "I will be mostly be on patrolling duty today, but then again, since I am planning to join the Garrison I guess I can't complain huh?"

I swallowed the food, "It won't take you long to get in the swing of things. You scored higher than me in the books works and all that."

"But everything we'll be doing is patrolling," Narissa said with a sigh.

"Just be lucky that is all you'll be doing," Hannah told her.

"Say, you and Franz are the same squad, right?" I asked her to give the freckled girl a glance.

She had blush upon her face as she looked away from me. I don't know why she is trying to hide it anymore since most of our class already know that they were a couple. Hannah only nodded, her blush growing even more as she was looking down toward the table in front of her.

"Well, this is probably the last day we'll seat together at a table again," Narissa said looking at the three of us, "I mean, tomorrow you'll be part of the Scouts and I'll be in the Garrison along with Hannah."

"Yeah," Hannah said looking at the two of us, "I'll miss this."

"Hey, come on," I said, "We still have today to enjoy as friends. While I don't know if we'll be put on the same squad but, we're still friends and we'll enjoy this time together."

I raised my cup toward the two of them and Narissa did the same along with Hannah.

"We'll be friends for life," I told them, "And no matter where we are, we'll always have each other's back."

"Yeah," Hannah laughed.

Narissa only chuckled as well and the three of us clanked our cups before draining them completely. Now that our breakfast was done, we all walked out toward where the equipment depo was, the large room where the gas was as well as our ODM gears. I made my way toward where mine was and swiftly put them on and with a quick squeeze of the trigger to test the connections, as a little bit of the gas escaped from the exhaust at my waist meaning that everything was up to task.

"Hey Narissa, did you see Samuel today?" I asked her.

The girl gave me a confused glance for a few seconds before a sly grin appeared upon her lips.

"Oh, why are you looking for our dear Samuel?"

I narrowed my eyes at her.

"Get your head out of the gutter," I told her, "It's not like that. It's just…I never asked him what part of the Regiment that he was planning to join."

Narissa thought about it for a few moments.

"That's right," she said, "I don't think he ever said either…you best find him before he gets send to his post for today."

I nodded as I finished placing swords in the boxes that were upon my thighs. Noticing that they were full, I made my way out of the depot and into the courtyard outside glancing around for Samuel but there was no sign of him anywhere. He might have already gone and join up with the rest of his team if he wasn't around. A familiar blonde appeared in my vision and I made my way toward where she was standing.

"Hey Annie," I called out drawing her blue eyes toward me.

She looked blank as I always seen her thought something about her seems…off. Like she was tense or something. I blinked at her for a few moments before speaking what I had in mind.

"Hey, did you see Samuel around today?" I asked her.

"Samuel?" the blonde repeated, seemingly thinking, "I think he left with his team already."

"Is that so?" I said sighing softly, "I guess…I'll have to speak to him at lunchtime then…. Say Annie are you feeling okay today?"

A trace of surprise appeared upon the blonde's face at my question, her blue eyes quickly finding my own amber eyes.

"You seem… _tense_ ," I told her.

"I'm fine," she said simply, her tone cold.

 _Did I piss her off or something?_ I thought.

"Oh…Okay," I said lamely, wondering if I had done something to get on her bad side but it's hard to tell with Annie, after all, she isn't too connected with her emotional side. While she was usually polite whenever she spoke, seeing her like this was really something.

I simply give her a light nod, making my way back. I decided I'll just see Samuel at lunchtime or maybe at the end of the day. I let out a small sigh thought I wasn't really worried about Samuel. I'll just be seeing him later about it. I feel like I needed to speak with him before I joined the Scout, and it felt like I would be regretting it forever.

"Sarah,"

I turned finding Mikasa there along with Armin. She was the one who called me out with her hand raised in the air. There were other people around her as well, and I walked straight toward the dark-haired girl. I reached her giving her a small grin in return.

"Hey," I greeted, "That's strange not seeing Eren with you all?"

"We were with him before when the Scouts were leaving the city," Armin answered me.

I blinked.

"Wait…you mean that was today?" I asked.

Armin nodded. I let out a groan.

"I thought it would be tomorrow," I told them, "I wanted to go and watch it with you all but, I missed it."

"Well you can always see them when they came back," Armin told me with a small smile.

"Arlert," a voice called out.

It was a Garrison soldier and he had long dark hair falling upon his shoulder.

"Your squad is ready to head out," he said.

Armin nodded.

"Yes sir," he said, before he turned toward us, "I'll see you two later okay."

"Bye Armin," I waved.

The blond grinned lightly before walking off with the rest of the squad that was with him. I gave Mikasa a glance.

"You're not part of any team?" I asked her.

She shook her head.

"No…you?"

I simply shook my head as well.

"Alright Cadets who aren't part of any squad are go on patrols around the city," a Garrison yelled out looking out at the few people that were in the courtyard, "Form a team with three others and set out in part of the city. This will be your duty for today before you join your Regiment tomorrow."

I crossed my arms.

"Want to stay together?" I asked her.

"Sure," Mikasa agreed, "But we do need three others."

"Like we actually need them," I told her, taking hold of her arm, "Let's just go."

Mikasa seems surprised at how forceful I was, but she didn't say anything as the two of us left headquarters behind. The streets of Trost were filled with people who were going on about their business as well as carriages going up and down the streets. Strangely enough, it reminded me of Mitras a bit, at least the part I was when I was a child and looking out there seeing the stone filled streets and built roads, it was oddly reminiscent of the time.

"I still didn't think that was a good idea," Mikasa spoke.

I laughed.

"Tell me you never actually skive off duties Mikasa."

"I didn't see the point for it," she said.

I give her a glance of surprise.

"Well no wonder you got top of the class," I said, shaking my head lightly, "You're a goody two shoe."

Mikasa gave me a stern look, and with how blank her face usually is, it was quite an improvement.

"Don't give me that look," I told her, "You mean to tell me you never broke the rules once?"

The girl simply shook her head. I placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"You poor, poor child," I said shaking my head, "Don't you worry, I will try to give you some sort of fun when we're part of the Scouts. You got to live a little, have some daring in your life. Well, I know that the path we've chosen isn't going to be filled with things like that, but we need to keep ourselves up…"

"Does this speech have a point?" Mikasa asked bluntly.

I gave her a stare.

"You and Eren really are brother and sister," I told her, "You have the same impatience for things."

Mikasa simply pulled her scarf up her nose, almost as if she was hiding a smile or something. Her eyes had gotten that soft look whenever she thinks about her brother. I couldn't help but feel slightly jealous at their relationship. I haven't gotten someone to think about me like that since Maria and my mother.

Then a massive explosion shook the ground we were walking on, startling me and I was sent stumbling to the side as Mikasa did the same as well. All around us, screams echoed as well as thumping noises like multiple heavy things were crashing in different part of the city. I straightened up noticing the people around me standing around looking confused at what was going on but somehow this feels strangely familiar…

Looking toward the direction of the Gate, I noticed that there was a building blocking my view, so I instantly shoot out a hook toward the nearest building before jumping up toward the top of the building, since I wanted to see it…

 _It's him…it must be…_

I landed upon the roof of the building, and I a straight vision straight toward the direction of where the Gate of Trost was and by just staring at it, I feel my eye widening lightly at the sight of a large skinless hand that was on top of the wall. There was a whole lot of smoke rising from the direction of the wall and just above that was the head of the Colossal Titan.

Strangely, it feels like I just stepped back in time to when I was in Shingashina when I first saw it. I remember the fear that I had in my heart that day…how scared I was…

 _The image of my mother's face appeared within my mind just before she was crushed by a rock…_

I shook my head, removing the memory from my mind…

"Eren…is there," Mikasa spoke out from beside me.

I stared at the girl's direction. Her dark eyes were wide and for the first time I saw genuine fear upon Mikasa's features. She was looking straight at the direction of the wall. She made to go forward but I instantly placed a hand upon her shoulder, stopping her.

"We need to head back to HQ," I told her, barely able to keep my anger from my voice.

"But Eren…," Mikasa argued.

"The Advanced Response team should already be on their way," I told her, "If Eren is really there then he will have help from experienced soldiers, not from two cadets. Trust in your brother Mikasa, if you care about him so much like that, then you must trust him."

Mikasa stared at me, her eyes going back to the Wall again where the Colossal Titan was standing through the area now was completed filled with Titan steam in the horizon.

"I…," the girl said but then the bells started to ring across the entire city we were in. I made my way forward.

"Mikasa," I told her, "My first instinct was to fly straight toward where the Colossal Titan is. I wanted to fight and kill it…however, I am a soldier now, not a lone wolf fighting by myself. However, we need to get back and maybe when we are at HQ, we'll see Eren there."

She looked at me, but then, she gives me a light nod agreeing with me, so I launched my hook forward, and was now flying above the city aiming straight toward the direction where the castle was. I looked down toward the street noticing the panicked citizens that were beneath me. I can see the pure terror and fear that was in their eyes as the bells for the evacuation continued to ring around marking the beginning of the disaster that was going to happen yet again.

I can feel myself tightening my grip upon the handles that were in my hands. If the Colossal Titan appeared right now, and than that means the Armored will be soon appeared as well. I didn't have any information about them within me however…Maria's word from long ago returned to my mind.

" _I can see how it is difficult to believe," she said, "However, I have suspicions about the two Titans who destroyed Wall Maria. I have been outside the Walls in my Titan form and while the Titans are dangerous, they never displayed any type of intelligence shown by the Colossal or the Armored…these two Titans appeared destroyed the Wall and disappeared just as quickly…"_

 _She seems to frown at that._

" _I don't have proof," she said, "I have been doing investigating about it but so far they have been nothing at all. But with how everyone talks about the Titans, and with the knowledge that I have of our family history, I am more inclined to believe that they are humans similar to me. People who have the ability to change into Titans."_

I narrowed my eyes at the thought of it.

 _Humans…who can transform into Titans…_ I thought, _If they are indeed humans than why did they destroy Wall Maria five years ago? If this is all the remnant of humanity live within these Walls…then why are they working to destroy us? Just what are they planning?_

If the Armored Titan were to appear again, I would have to transform and stop him from destroying the Gate…but if I did that, I need to be alone for it to happen. Maria had managed to keep her existence a secret from the people in the Walls and most of the people. I'm going to need to do the same if I am to carry this legacy in my blood…

Headquarters came into sight as both me and Mikasa landed down upon the ground reeling our cables in. I wasted no time running into the courtyard along with the dark-haired girl. They were many of the Cadets back, all of them running around but there was an air of urgency stained with fear as well upon their faces as they worked through the area.

"I'm going to look for Eren," Mikasa told me before she ran off to a random direction.

I watched her back for a few moments before continuing to walk again. My heart was hammering in my chest as I searched the crowd for a sign of a familiar figure when I found both Mina and Sasha along with some Garrison soldiers both helping…

"Samuel," I called out running toward him.

The young man was bleeding from his head and he didn't seem to be conscious as the two soldiers were helping him. I stared at him, feeling a strange fear rising in my heart at the sight of him.

"He is fine," Mina told me, "He got knocked off the top of the Wall when the Colossal Titan appeared…he would have died if Sasha hadn't caught him with her gear…that was some quick thinking by the way."

Sasha nodded at her, thought the girl still looked a little pale in the face. It was strange to see the usually jovial potato girl so…normal.

"What happened up there?" I asked Mina.

The short girl let out a sigh, "We were just doing our job when it just _appeared_ right in front of us. We all were frozen in shock…at the sight of his face…and there was this burst of steam…I just instinctively reacted before realizing that I was hanging on the side of the Wall with my wire against it… _I was so scared_ …"

I placed a hand upon her shoulder.

"Hey at least you managed to make it back here," I told her.

Mina seems to smile at that, thought I can see that the fear of being that close to the Colossal Titan was still upon her face. I returned it before starting to scan the crowd again, searching for Narissa but didn't see her at all.

 _She was just on a patrolling mission,_ I thought, _even thought she didn't say where…if she is in the city she would be heading back right now…_

"ATTENTION CADETS," a voice yelled out drawing all of our attention, "FORM LINES NOW."

"We best get in line," I told the two girls, "Seems we are about to get into our squads for this operation."

The trainees did as the Captain asked and soon enough, the yard was filled with rows of Cadets all of us facing the direction of the Garrison soldier in front of us. He had brown hair, with a similar colored bear and sunken eyes. I stared at the man, noticing the fear that was upon his features as well as the two soldiers that were behind him.

 _T…They look like…they've already given up,_ I thought shocked.

"I want everyone to split up into Four squad-group as practiced," the man yelled out, "All squadron are responsible for supplies running, message relay, and enemy combats under the Commands of the Garrison Regiment."

The man frowned lightly at us.

"The intercept squadron with the Garrison will be taking the Vanguard," he announced," Cadets led by the support squad will be taking the middle guard, Rear guards will go to the elites. I expect you will be manning your post, knowing that the Advance team had been wiped out."

I feel my eyes widen at the news.

 _This quickly…_ I thought shocked and from around me, I noticed that this news influenced the others around me as well.

"Are you serious?" a Cadet said from behind me.

"That's right," the Garrison captain continued, his voice cracking lightly from the fear, "The outer Gate is history. The Titans are in. This means the Armored Titan is likely to reappear, when he does, the inner Gate will also be history."

"Dear God,"

"This will be just like five years ago,"

"I can't believe this is happening…,"

"Please let this be a dream…,"

"QUIET," the Captain yelled out forcing everyone to quiet down, "The vanguard has already engaged the enemy and this operation goal is very simple. Defend the wall until the evacuation is done. Now, you know that desertion is punishable by death if it comes down to it, _lay down your lives. Dismissed."_

"Sir," we all saluted in unison.

The group dispersed, and I resumed my search for Narissa once more, my eyes searching around in a panic almost for the familiar features but there was still nothing I could find at all. Just where the hell has she gone?

 _Damn it Narissa…_

I let out a breath calming myself down. I wasn't going to do anything better panicking like this. Narissa, like me, was a trained soldier. She may be a little soft, but she was trained like I did. She'll find exactly what she needs to do and maybe if she wasn't here, she probably was assigned elsewhere.

 _She couldn't have gone too far,_ I thought, _I just need to focus on doing my job…. Just focus on doing what I can do…_

"Sarah?"

I turned my head so quickly toward the direction her voice came from. Narissa was there, walking toward me with a small smile upon her lips. I ran toward her, taking the girl into a hug, feeling a huge relief at seeing her safe and alive.

"Hey…you're okay?" she asked, surprised at how affectionate I was being.

"You scared the crap out of me," I told her, "Just, where were you?"

"At the inner Gate," she explained, "That's where we were when we heard the explosion and saw the Colossal Titan destroy the Wall and when I arrived the captain told us to get in line, so I didn't have time to look for you."

I let out a breath again, calming myself down knowing that she was here. The Inner Gate was a bit farther away from HQ than where I was with Mikasa, so no wonder we got here first.

"T…This is going to be just like five years ago isn't it?" Narissa said, a quiver of fear in her voice.

"It won't be," I told her, "Five years ago I was but a scared child but here…I actually have a fighting chance against them. I didn't train all this time just to die here."

"No shit," Narissa laughed, thought I can tell that it was forced to hide down her panic.

I glanced at my friend seeing how pale she looked and how her shoulders were shaking from the fear of the situation we were in right now. I reached for her and took her hand with my own. It was cold from fear, but I can feel her fingers tightening their grip with my own hands squeezing it for comfort.

"Stay close to me," I told her, "And I'll protect you."

Narissa's eyes met my own and I noticed the flash of something in her eyes, but I couldn't really decipher it at all, but she nodded at me.

"C'mon," I told her, "Let's find our squad."

I walked forward and still held her hand within my own and I can hear her following after me. I lost most of the people I care about at the hands of the Titans. I won't allow myself to lose my best friend.

 _I was done losing people I care about._

* * *

 **The Nightmare begins yet again for Sarah...**

 **Next Time:** Burden of Command.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	11. Burden of Command

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far. Thanks for the reviews of last chapter, i really enjoyed reading them but now here is the next update.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah flying through the air in her ODM gear with Narissa following after her.

Chapter Eleven

Struggle for Trost

The Burden of Command

"Sarah Gray and Narissa Phel correct?" the Garrison soldier spoke out when he came to stand right in front of both me and Narissa.

He had dark hair upon his head and his eyes were dark brown. The man was looking down toward us with a tight expression upon his features. He had both of his hands at his side and from his face he seemed like someone who wanted to be as far away from this battle as possible.

"Yes sir," the two of us saluted him.

"Come with me," he said, "the both of you."

Narissa and I shared glances before following the Garrison soldier. They were many other Cadets around and by looking at them, I could tell that they were all terrified. Some were curled into balls where they were seated while other had pale faces that were completely devoid of any emotions other than pure fear. It was disconcerting to see something like this just when I was going out to fight against the Titans. I remember just earlier that I was just like them five years ago, completely afraid of the Titan and what had happened five years ago.

But I wasn't that person anymore.

I won't allow myself to fall into despair again…not when I had trained so hard these past three years to fight against these monsters who took my mother away from me. The Garrison soldiers had led us straight toward where another group of Cadets were in and I recognized Paul, the guy that Mina had a crush on. He looked a little pale, but he seems to be holding himself well despite everything. When we reached the group, he was the first one who looked toward us.

"Alright," the Garrison soldier spoke out, "Team 11 is complete. You will be placed on the western side of the city meaning and my team has already gone out. You will be placed in that position and be ready to fight against the Titans that are invading Trost as we speak. Gray, you will be given the command once in the field is that clear?"

I stared at the man, surprised.

"Me…sir?"

"You are ranked 11th in your class are you not?" the man asked, "Let's move out to our position and get ready for combat…all of you."

His eyes observed us all, thought despite how he tried to be convincing, he wasn't convincing anyone that he wasn't terrified out of his mind. From the faces I saw of the team that was assembled, all of us could see it as well. Me, Narissa, Paul, another girl…Jane I think her name was and there was Wayne, he was not a guy who talks a lot, but he wasn't all that good at his ODM either.

Then, the soldier led us out of Headquarters and into the streets as we took the sky with our ODM gears heading straight toward where the Titans were, at least, were our position is going to be stationed. I was following the Garrison that was leading us to our position and my eyes were quickly looking around the city taking in the part that had smokes rising from the direction of where the Outer Gate was meaning that's where they had the most concentrated numbers of Titans.

 _We're not seeing any this far in yet…maybe the Vanguard is doing better than I thought…_

"We're coming up on your position," the Garrison soldier spoke drawing my eyes toward him.

He glanced back toward us.

"Now, when we reach position I will go and rendezvous with the message relay team…," he started but never finished for a large hand had came out of nowhere, snatching him from the air.

Flecks of blood flew everywhere as we were all shocked at what had just happened right in front of us and instinct simply took over as I saw myself pulling to the side with how quick everything had happened as one second our Garrison commander was there and the next he was just _gone._ I landed upon a roof, sliding to a stop before I turned my attention toward the direction where the large had came from and for the first time in the past five years, I was looking at a live Titan.

It was easily twelve-meter-tall, with an abnormally large hands and a chilling smile upon his humanlike features as he was holding the Garrison soldier in his right hand which was dripping with blood. I can feel my own eyes widening in shock at the sight of how easily the man was killed. The Titan then raised his prey toward his mouth and even from where I was, I heard the crunch of bones as even more blood splattered everywhere.

Another scream drew my attention away from the Titan that was feeding in front of me toward the direction of another Titan who was holding Wayne in his hand and the shocking thing was, the Titan was upon the top of the damn roof to get to him…

 _What the hell…_

"Ah, help… _I don't wanna die_ ," Wayne was screaming as the Titan was bringing him closer to his mouth, " _I don't wanna die…I don…"_

Then just like that, he was bit down by the Titan causing blood and gore to fly everywhere. I turned my gaze around searching for the rest of my team and I quickly spied both Paul along with Jane looked at the Titan eating Wayne with pale and terrified look upon their features as they were completely frozen where they stood, their fears having completely overtaken them.

"Sarah, what do we do?" Narissa asked, her voice trembling from the fear.

I glanced toward the other Titan noticing that he had finished swallowed our Garrison commander and was now coming straight toward us, it's beady eyes lacking anything human within them…just animalistic intent. I pulled out my blades and heard Narissa did the same as I did.

"Paul," I called out, startling the young man on the other side of where I was, "Take care of the Titan on the roof, Narissa and I got this one."

Without waiting to see if he had listened, I moved forward with Narissa following me.

"I'll work on distraction," I said, "You go for the nape alright."

"R…Right," Narissa said.

It was a tactic we worked together during our training whenever I helped around in her ODM gear or when we were together in training. It was something that she knew how to do, so I wasn't really worried about her underperforming…thought this wasn't training at all. This was actual combat against a actual live Titan, compared to the Dummy we usually trained against.

The Titan reached out toward us and I jumped aside missing his hand by a few feet while Narissa took off into the air. The Titan ignored her as it followed straight toward where I was meaning that the distraction is working. I launched myself forward running with the Titan reaching out for me but before he could do so, he simply stumbled forward like a marionette without strings before he collapsed upon the ground with a booming noise, steam rising from his body and he didn't get back up.

Narissa came to land beside me, her blade wet with blood which was getting evaporated away. Her limbs were shaking as her eyes were wide with what she had just done.

"I…I did it…," she said, "I…I actually killed one of them."

I give her a smile.

"Good job now let's go," I told her, "Paul and Jane need our help."

The two of us headed for the two other members of our team who were engaging the Titan that ate Wayne.

"I don't understand," Narissa spoke out, as we were running across the rooftop we were on, "How can the Titans be that far in already? Surely the Vanguard would have been enough to hold their advance right?"

"The situation must be worse than what the Garrison realized," I answered her, "But enough about that, we'll have time to talk about after we take care of that Titan."

Narissa nodded, focusing back toward the large enemy that was slowly rising from the roof he was on. Both Jane and Paul were engaging it but neither of them managed to get a good clean hit in and it wasn't long before the Titan reached out, grabbing Paul from out of tin air.

"Shit," I said launching a hook forward aiming straight for the nape.

With the Titan distracted upon the human in his hand, I had a clean strike at the weak spot and I took great advantage of it, slicing at the flesh with my pairing blades causing him to falter in his movements before he collapsed back down upon the building his hand falling as well. Paul pulled himself out of the giant fingers as we landed beside him, grunting lightly in pain.

"Paul are you okay?" Narissa said, as the blood upon my blades were evaporating away.

The young man only nodded, thought he was still pale in the face. I turned my attention around, observing the city around us but caught sight of no Titans in the area at all. These must have been stragglers or something that had managed to get through the Vanguard somehow…

Behind me, a conversation was taking place between the rest of the group as I was getting lost in my thoughts.

"Titans this far in…," Jane was scaring, her voice laced with fear, "How are we going to even put up a fight like this?"

"We've managed so far," Narissa told her.

"Managed?" the girl said shocked, "This was only our first fight, but we lost both our Garrison commander and one of our own before we can even move. How are we supposed to last till the evacuation is complete? _We're all going to die_."

Narissa glanced at her.

"You know what they asked us to do," she said, "We can't just abandon our post."

"Screw that," Jane yelled, "I'm not going to die out here eaten by Titans."

" _So, you want to run_ ," Narissa yelled back, "Desertion is punishable by death. You'd lose your head over that."

I let out a sigh turning toward them.

" _Alright that's enough_ ," I snapped.

Everyone's attention turned toward me. I stared at the trio in front of me with a frown upon my features. I give Jane a stern look.

"We've trained for situation like this," I told her, "What the hell do you think the past three years have been for? We are the last line of defence against these monsters for the civilians that are evacuating right now or are you going to allow them to die because you can't control your fear?"

Jane opened her mouth to answer but she didn't say anything, simply turning away from me.

"We all made the choice to become soldiers three years ago," I continued looking at them all, "And soldiers worth their salts are prepared for any situation. We don't get to decide when and where disasters are going to happen. The best we can do in those type of situation, is to remember our training and save as many people as we can…and doing that means _facing the Titan till the give the retreat signal."_

Paul stood up.

"Sarah's right."

I glanced at him and I noticed that the look in his eyes had changed from the fear he had within them moments ago, to a grim determination that was upon his features. The young man had a small frown upon his features.

"We are soldiers," he said, "We made the same oath to protect humanity against the Titans. If we back down now, we'll never be worth called soldiers. We have a job to do out here, and we need to get things done."

Jane looked at him for a few moments before looking away tching.

"Well, you're in charge Gray," she said, "What do you want to do?"

I turned my gaze toward the direction of where our post was, thinking.

"We need to make contact with a relay team where our position is," I told them, "They should be one nearby from what our Commander was saying before he was killed. If we can make contact then, we should have our direction as to what to do then."

I moved forward and launched at the direction we were originally going, hearing the rest of the group following behind me. There was a good chance that the relay team had been wiped out as well if the Titans getting this far into Trost was any indication of how bad things were. If the Vanguard couldn't hold back the Titan onslaught, then there is a good chance that many Cadets are going to be killed before the day was over.

 _The situation is much worse if the Vanguard is wiped out as well,_ I thought, _If they are…then the Titans will burrow deeper into the city and the Cadets would not be able to hold them back…_

I instantly focused forward as we were nearing the place we were supposed to be posted at. There was no one visible around but, in the distance, I took sight of Titans moving between the building. I narrowed my eyes at them as we landed down upon one of the roofs.

"Titans in the distance," Narissa said, her voice quivering in fear at the sight of their forms.

"The Vanguard is completely overwhelmed," Paul said.

"Fuck," Jane said, sounding afraid again.

 _It's just as I feared,_ I thought, _They couldn't hold them back at all, and even the Cadets will be wiped out at this rate…_

"Never take on a Titan by yourself," I spoke out giving them a backward glance, "We will work in teams to take them down. Remember your ODM training. If the Titans makes it through the middle ground, then the elites will deal with them. We will do our job here and stop the Titan advance here."

I give them a backward glance.

"Team 11 move out," I yelled.

We all flew off together aiming straight toward where the Titans were. I can feel my heart hammering in my chest as I was flying, back toward battle once more as I was focused upon the Titans that I could see and searching corners to that we don't get surprised by another one like we did before. The only advantage that I could see with these Titans was that they were normal Titans, and, they were a little bit slow as well and despite their size, we can outmaneuver them and then we can stop them.

 _I hope,_ I thought to myself.

The first Titans have seen our approach or seems to have sensed them for they turned their attention toward us, their hungry eyes looking at us as they reached out to us but I managed to avoid them by going low and slicing at the tendons causing it to fall down upon his knees and Narissa came from above, with her pairing blades and sliced at the nape again, making another Titan kill under her belt. I retreated as another Titan was reaching for me and with a burst of gas I was out of hits range and was no in the air above the rooftops glancing downward, my eyes taking in everything around me.

Then something strange happened in that moment.

It was like…I could see everything around me…like a switch had been flipped within me. I was looking around at the Titans in front of me seeing Narissa working on distracting one of the Titan that had reached at me earlier making the large monster follow her. From the side, I saw Paul doing the same to another Titan leading it elsewhere…

Then I moved forward, launching my hook straight toward a Titan's nape before zooming down and with a yell I sliced the nape causing blood to fly everywhere at my strike. Then I was already moving launching my hook forward yet again, using the gas to propel me forward once more.

" _HELP_ ," a voice screamed out.

I found Jade in the hand of a Titan as she was struggling to move from the large hand she was caught in. The Titan was moving her toward it's jaw and from the distance I was in, I knew that I wouldn't make it in time…

"Jane hold on," Paul yelled launching forward, and my eyes widened at the Titan that was peeking from the side of a building he had completely missed.

"Wait…," I yelled out to him.

But my warning had gone unheard for the Titan that was hiding suddenly jumped from his hiding place, straight at him before the two of them crashed through a building raising a whole lot of dust and debris everywhere and Jane's screams had ended abruptly as well as the Titan had her within his jaws, blood dripping between it's large fingers.

 _Shit…shit…,_ I thought, _I was supposed to lead them…so why…why couldn't I even do that…?_

The Titan had dropped half of Jane's body down upon the ground having finished with her and continued, this time, coming straight at the direction of where I was in. The one that had smashed through the building was getting up as well and I knew that I wasn't at the level to take on two Titans by myself…

 _And that one is definitely an Abnormal,_ I thought looking at the one that had crashed through the building, _Not going to try and take this one on by myself…_

A familiar voice screamed from my left and I instantly turned at it.

"Narissa," I whispered.

Then I was running, aiming at the direction it had came from finding Narissa on the rooftops of a building with a Titan coming upon her. There was another Titan down on the ground with a steaming hand that was regenerating but I didn't pay any attention to him as I pushed myself forward launching a hook into one of the Titan's shoulders before aiming straight at the nape, slicing through it causing the Titan to collapse against the building and stay there as it started to evaporate. I landed down beside my friend, giving her a glance.

"Hey, you're okay?" I asked her.

"I'm fine," Narissa answered, "I…I just…got surprised for a moment there and I screamed out."

I turned my gaze toward the Titans noticing that the one who had a wounded had a finished healing and was now coming at us again. Both Narissa and I moved as one as we dodged the large hand that came at us. Using my ODM gear I jumped off the roof launching my chook straight toward the Titan and spun to the left to avoid his arms as Narissa worked on distracting it and then with the nape open, I struck for the kill, dropping it down upon the ground landing upon the Titan's head as well.

Turning my gaze toward the distance, I found more Titans appearing from around the buildings, so I shoot my hook into the air landing beside Narissa who was on the roof.

"They are so many of them," she said looking at the monsters approaching toward us, "We can't fight them all on our own."

"Then we fall back," I told her, "We find some soldiers and team up with them. If we take on that many by ourselves we'll be killed."

"That must mean…the Vanguard was wiped out," Narissa said.

I didn't answer her as I moved but my silence might have been an answer all on it's own. The two of us moved as one as we all left the post we were in. With so many Titans already this deep into the middle ground, the Vanguard didn't hold out as much as we had hoped them to, but what can they do in a situation such as this…

"Sarah, what happened to Jane and Paul?" Narissa asked me.

I didn't answer her, just focusing upon getting away from where the Titans were. And just like before, my silence was its own answer. I didn't look back to what type of expression Narissa was doing for I was still completely in shock at what had happened. My entire team was just wiped out. A team that I was given command to and under my orders, they were all killed because I give the order for it.

 _Is this what being in command is like?_ I thought, _To simply order men to die on our orders because we can do it. How can anyone bear such a burden and not break? I was supposed to have guided them and yet, I couldn't do a single thing._

The image of Wayne being eaten flashed within my mind as well as Paul and Jane.

 _All I could do…was just stand and watch._

From above, the cloud had darkened considerably, and it wasn't long before rain had started to fall. It was like the world was reflecting just how dark the mood really was in this situation with so many of our comrades in arms killed by the dozens because of the Titans and even the roads bellow us had bloodied splash upon them marking them as battlegrounds against Titan and from the looks of it, many soldiers fell here.

"Sarah, soldiers," Narissa yelled out.

I glanced upward toward the front of us and sure enough, they were other soldiers here in front of us. Our approach drew the attention of the soldiers that were upon the roof and my eyes were instantly drawn toward one of the boy since I recognized them.

Jean Kirstein was not someone I interacted a whole lot of with over our three years training. While I knew he was ahead of the class during ODM training, and he was pro-military Police I didn't really know him at all. Thought, him and Eren were always butting heads about something whenever the two worked together.

"Sarah, Narissa," a familiar voice spoke out.

It was Sasha and the girl give us a small smile as we approached.

"That's your entire team?" Jean asked.

"The ones that survived," was Narissa's answer.

A somber look crossed the few Cadets that were with us at the revelation of what had happened. I looked away form them, still feeling the brunt of what my orders had done to the people who had decided to follow my commands. We were wiped out in seconds before we could even actually put up a real fight and only had managed to take down a few Titans before we were completely overwhelmed.

"The Vanguard was completely wiped out by the time we were in our position and then they were just so many…," Narissa spoke out looking down.

"Where are the supplies team?" one of the Cadets asked, "We are starting to get low on gas."

That was a good question thought. I don't think I ever saw them during the time I was out there. I glanced around myself for a few moments, taking in the numerous soldiers that were around us. As far I can see, it was only Cadets here, no member of the Garrison at all. Did all the teams get wiped out, before we even knew what was going on?

Then my eyes spied a blond figure in the distance and I blinked.

 _That's…_

I ran toward the direction of where the person was and as I got closer, sure enough, it was Armin. The young man was seating on the ground and the expression upon his features stopped me from calling out to him. He looked traumatized…

 _Armin…what happened to you?_

I glanced around myself once more. If Armin was here, then Eren won't be far behind considering that the two of them were part of the same team at least as far as I knew along with Mina, but I didn't see either of them.

 _Mina and Eren aren't here,_ I thought, _If Eren was here…I doubt he would be seating around doing nothing…_

A chill ran through me at the thought of what could have happened to him to cause Armin to be this way…and I felt my hands tightening into fists.

In the distance, bells started to ring…

* * *

 **Death and despair hangs over all...**

 **Next Time:** A Dim light Amid Despair

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	12. A Dim light amid Despair

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah standing beside Mikasa as a shadow of a Titan was behind them.

Chapter Twelve

Struggle for Trost

A Dim Light Amid Despair

Seeing so many people having lost the will to fight was…demoralizing.

The Cadets were all standing around doing nothing at all. It had been sometimes since the signal was given out and yet, no one had managed to move at all. After using our gear for the better part of the day, they were many people that were low on gas and without the supplies team doing their job, most of them were completely trapped with no way to scale the Wall.

"The supplies team…they must have gotten overwhelmed at headquarters," Narissa told me as she walked toward where I was standing, "At least from what Jean was saying earlier and to make things worse, most of the people here don't have enough gas to get over the Wall either."

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," I said shaking my head, "With this many people here, we should be able to mount an offensive attack but…how could rookies who barely have any experience pull off a suicide mission?"

I looked at the many Cadet's faces around us all the face that were completely white with fear and with the lost of will to fight completely thought I can understand what they were feeling. Having seen comrades get devoured by Titans is a good way to take away your fighting spirit, that is if they even had some to begin with. Humanity had never win a fight against the Titans in the past before so what would make this time any different?

"At this rate," I continued looking out toward the city, "We will all be killed before the day is over."

Narissa let out a sigh.

"Yeah," she said softly, "Hey Sarah, can I ask you something?"

I looked at her.

"What?"

"What really happened to Jane and Paul?" she asked me.

I was surprised that she was asking me that question. Narissa seems to be able to control her fear much better now compared to how she was when this battle had first started. I was impressed by her will to adapt. It was one of the things that I always respected in the other girl, it was her ability to adapt to the situation and possibly make good decisions.

However, asking me that question caused me to think to the rest of our squad who was completely eaten barely spent an hour out there in field. I can feel my hands shaking again at the thought of them dying on my orders. We could have retreated…but I give the order to continue the mission and because of that, three people were dead on my account.

"I was chosen to lead that team," I said, "And I failed them…while they were being eaten, all I could do was watch."

I grit my teeth at how I was inactive during that time. I could have done something, I could have been better on the field and be able to call out better tactics and not have my entire team, safe for Narissa, killed on my account.

"Makes me wonder…if anything was different," I continued, "If I really changed from the girl I was five years ago…the girl that was waiting for someone else to come save her…"

" _C'mon everyone_ ," a familiar voice called out breaking me from my self pitying.

It was Sasha and she was calling out to the rest of the group around her.

"I know what if we work together we might pull it off," she continued, "I'll even take point in the attack, what do you say?"

The group she was talking with barely reacted to her words at all. All of them completely frozen in shock lost in the horror that they had witnessed during the earlier part of today. I turned my attention toward my gas thanks and tapped them. I still have gas, but I knew that it was below the half full meter. I have enough gas to go and scale the wall but, can I really abandon the rest here and go off on my own…

I glanced around the many Cadets that were around us. Some were simply standing there while others have their heads in their knees or simply seating down discouraged at the situation. While Sasha was trying to talk to some to do something, no one was willing to do anything at all. I then turned my gaze toward Armin who was simply seating on a corner a traumatized expression upon his features. He hadn't even moved since I came here.

 _If I use my transformation…given how terrified everyone is, I'll just end up making things worse,_ I thought looking at my hand, _But we have to do something…but given how everyone was…what can I do? The last time I was a leader, my entire team die…Just what was that soldier thinking putting me in the lead?_

"Damn it all," I said.

Suddenly the sound of someone arriving by ODM gears drew my attention toward it and it landed not too far away from where I was and I instantly latched on the familiar red scarf that was dancing behind the dark haired girl.

 _Mikasa? What is she doing here?_

"Hey Mikasa, weren't you with the rear guard?" one Cadet asked as the dark-haired girl passed.

But Mikasa ignored him completely making way straight toward Annie.

"Annie," she called out, "I know how bad things are and its probably selfish of me to ask about a personal matter like this but…have you seen Eren and his squad?"

Annie looked away.

"Some squads made it back," she said, "I don't know about Eren."

"We found Armin," Reiner told her indicating where the blond guy was seating against the wall of a building.

Mikasa instantly went toward him calling out his name and doing so, caused him to tense up. I can already tell that this was going to be bad for Mikasa. I already figured out that Eren might have perished if Armin was the only one remaining, him along with Mina…

"Armin are you hurt anywhere at all?" she asked him.

The blond simply gives her a light shake of his head instead of speaking.

Mikasa smiled with relief and glanced around herself for a few moments, her eyes finding me and Narissa standing not too far away from where she was. She gives me a light nod of recognition before turning her gaze back toward the blond again.

"Where is Eren?" the dark-haired girl asked, but Armin didn't answer her and tears had started to fall from his eyes, "Armin…"

The blonde then finally met her eyes and his own were filled with tears which was rolling down his cheeks.

"They were…," he spoke his voice shaking from his emotions, "the Cadets of squad 34, Thomas Wagner, Nack Tierce, Milieus Zemerski, Mina Carolina and Eren Yeager. These brave five…upheld their duties…they died valiantly on the field…of battle."

There was a dead silence in the air now, save for the sounds of Armin's sobbing at the death of Eren. I knew that they were dead and yet, hearing it being said out loud simply brought it to the forefront of reality for me. From beside me, Narissa had one her hands upon her lips at Mina's name and even I could still remember just this morning seeing and talking to Mina…and now… _she was dead_.

 _One of my friends…was dead, and there was nothing I could do about it._

"His entire squad was wiped out?" one of the Cadets whispered.

"This really is hopeless…," another said.

"That might happen to us if we go and attack the siege at headquarters," another said.

While the others were just talking, I had kept my eyes upon Mikasa's still form in front of Armin's who was on his knees his head bowed as his tears continued to fall upon the floor in front of him. Having befriended the trio somewhat during our training, I knew that Eren Yeager was Mikasa's whole world. While I didn't know the reason why it was like that, it was just the way things were with these two but now, Eren was dead and Mikasa…

The girl kneeled to Armin's level and she said something to him too soft for me to hear but whatever Armin saw upon her face caused shock to appear upon his features. He let himself get pulled up by her and then Mikasa turned around heading for the direction of where headquarters was walking across the rooftop.

"Marco," she spoke out loud enough for anyone to hear, "If we eliminate or bypass the Titans from HQ, we can then refuel our gears allowing us to get back over the wall, is that assessment correct?"

Marco blinked at being addressed but he answered her.

"Well yeah sure," he said, "But there is just too many of them out there, even with you in the lead…"

It was then Mikasa turned toward us and I caught the look in her eyes.

"I can," she answered simply like she was stating a fact.

I can feel my eyes widening lightly at sight of her face. The one thing I always admired about Mikasa was that her eyes were like obsidians, almost always seems to shine with life. The eyes I was seeing right now, they were the farthest thing from that.

"I'm strong," Mikasa continued, raising her sword in the air, " _real strong._ None of you can compare, you hear me. I'm a warrior. Know this, I have the power to slay all of the Titans that block our path…even if I have to do it alone. As far I am concerned, I am surrounded by nothing more than cowardly, unskilled worms."

She aimed her sword forward straight at the Cadets that stood around her.

"You disappoint me," Mikasa continued, "You can just seat here, twiddling your thumbs and watch how it's done."

"But Mikasa that's insane," one girl told her.

"You can't be serious, trying to take them all on by yourself?"

"There is no way you can beat them,"

"Hey, you're not going to talk some sense into her?" Narissa said from beside me, and I knew she was talking to me but I couldn't find an answer for her as I was looking at the dark haired girl.

Just seeing her face like that…it was…

"If I can't do it, then I'll die," Mikasa said turning away from us, "But if I win, I live and the only way to win… _is to fight."_

With these parting words, Mikasa Ackerman launched herself from the roof and with a burst of gas she was gone leaving us all behind and heading straight for HQ all by herself. I felt anger rising through me at the reckless action she had done and find my feet already moving before I could even truly think about it. I heard other people yell out my name, but I didn't even give them a look back as I went after her, launching myself from the roof as well making to follow Mikasa.

I can feel anger surging through me as I followed the dark-haired girl and then there was a sudden influx of sounds as well as all the rest of the Cadets were now following right after us. Mikasa was already farther ahead of me, moving quickly through the air and leaving a visible trail of gas, slicing any Titan's nape that was close to her as she did so.

"Everyone, follow Mikasa and Sarah," Jean was yelling from somewhere behind me, "Avoid fighting if you can…and try to make it to HQ without running out of gas."

I can feel my anger growing at what Mikasa was doing. I knew that ever since I saw her eyes, I knew that something was off. The Mikasa I knew would never be reacting like this…that girl was the head of our class, someone that was always perfect in whatever she was doing, whether it was ODM training or hand to hand combat or even gun training…and what I was seeing right now…it was the opposite of what Mikasa Ackerman was…

 _And it was fucking pissing me off._

A Titan came from another street, as I was flying toward it aiming his hand toward where I was, and I switched the lever out the handle of my handle before jumping forward and with his hand coming at me, I twisted my body to avoid it completely before landing upon his arm and the next second I was pushing off launching hook forward as well as using gas to leave it behind.

I moved swung forward through the air, my eyes searching for the sight of Mikasa who was ahead of me and I caught tale of her somewhere on my right high in the air with gas still trailing behind her, but I knew that if she continues like this she would ran out of gas very quickly. This was one of the first thing they taught is back when we were first learning on how to use ODM gears. Managing on how we spent our gas could mean life and death on the battlefield…

Then it happened.

Mikasa had ran out of gas and start to fall from the sky aiming straight toward the rooftops she was flying over. I was moving before I was even aware of what I was doing, instantly switching direction aiming straight toward where she was. I heard Armin yelling out her name from somewhere in the back.

"SARAH," I heard Narissa yell out my name.

"Head to HQ, I'll catch up with you later," I yelled back.

"But…,"

" _Go damnit_ ," I yelled at her without looking at her aiming straight at the direction of where Mikasa had fallen.

I can feel my hands tightening upon the handles in my hand as a new fear suddenly shoot out from within my heart. It was a familiar fear, the same fear I felt when I first saw the Colossal Titan five years ago in Shingashina. I didn't think I could ever felt a fear like this other than that. I used my gas to go faster, reaching the area Mikasa had fallen in and there was Titan approaching toward where she was.

And she was just seating down on her knees…doing nothing….

 _Giving up…_

I shoot one of my hooks straight into the Titan's nape before reeling down toward it, raising my blades in the air before slashing down with such force that I ruined the blades that were in my hands. The Titan fell toward the ground like marionette without strings and I stayed on it's head, in a crouch absorbing the vibration from the fall, raising a whole lot of dust around where I stood.

Then I stood there, looking down toward Mikasa who had looked up toward me from where she was on the ground. She was looking at me with the same eyes as I saw when she was on the roof earlier…the same eyes she was wearing ever since she learned of Eren's death…

" _You want to tell me exactly what that was back there?"_ I asked her, my voice barely above a whisper and yet, it sounded louder than cannon fire.

I stepped off the Titan's head and unto the ground, walking toward her and detaching the ruined blades from my handles as I was walking toward the girl that was in front of me. I placed one of them in it's hold.

"Sarah…Eren…," she started.

That pushed me over the edge and I did the only thing I could in that situation.

I slammed a fist straight into Mikasa's jaw knocking her back down a few feet. I feel my hand throb at the pain of punching her feeling my anger steaming around me.

"You give us a pretty little speech back there at how much stronger you are than the rest of us," I said walking toward the fallen girl, "And yet, the first thing you did was charge in recklessly without making a plan. Waste the rest of your gas without even managing it, and when I find a Titan about to kill you… _You're just going to give up without a fight?"_

I caught hold of her scarf and brought her face toward me. Mikasa was staring at me with wide eyes, her cheek bruised from the punch I gave her earlier and I can feel the anger within me as I glared back at her.

"Is this who you are Mikasa?" I asked her, "The girl that everyone praised back at training? The one that made using ODM look so easy to the rest of us? The girl that was the top our class at everything she does break down on the battlefield before the battle is finished?"

I loosened my grip from the scarf I was holding.

"Eren is dead," I continued, "I thought as his sister, you would have carried his memory forward. That bastard could never shut up about killing all the Titans and fighting for humanity. I thought you would have at least put up a fight before giving up…but I guess I was wrong about you. If all it takes for you to crumble and fall is Eren's death, then you are as much of a weakling as the rest of us."

That seemed to have done something to Mikasa for tears had started to fall from her dark eyes rolling down her pale cheeks. I let out a small sigh pulling her up by her arms as she continued to cry.

"Shadis would have had your head if he heard you wasted all of your gas like that," I told her, placing an arm around her waist before shooting a hook upward bringing the both of us on the rooftop.

The sun had finally stepped out from the clouds as I was looking around the city, glancing at the direction of where headquarters was situated. We were still ways away from it and with Mikasa out of gas. I let go of the girl that was still softly sobbing for her dead brother and I couldn't help but feel my heart go out to her. I know all too well how it felt to lose someone you love so deeply.

 _My mother and Maria flashed within my mind…_

 _I could give her some of my gas,_ I thought, _However…I don't know if I have enough as it is…I can carry her but that would endanger the both of us if the Titans at headquarter swarms us…_

"Sarah, Mikasa," a familiar voice yelled out.

It was Armin and the young man had landed not too far away from where the two of us stood. Mikasa had reacted to the young man's voice and she looked up toward him.

"Armin?" she said softly.

Then, a shadow stepped out from behind the building that Armin had landed on just from the shape I knew that it was Titan and I can feel my eyes widening at the sight.

"Armin, _behind you_ ," I yelled out to him.

The blonde guy turned around and the sight of a Titan so close to him caused him to trip over his feet and landed down upon his back. With a Titan so close to him, the young man was as good as dead. The Titan was easily a fifteen meter with longish hair and a permanent grin upon it's lipless face.

"Save him," Mikasa said taking hold of my arm, "Please Sarah…you have to save him."

I clicked on the last set of blades that I had.

"That's goes without saying," I said running toward the Titan.

But before I could reach Armin, another Titan appeared from around the corner, his mouth wide open and it was another fifteen meters. Mikasa had turned her attention toward the Titan as well, her eyes going wide at being suddenly cornered where she was. I found myself becoming frozen in the middle, with the lives of two of my friends on the balance of my decision…

 _Shit…Shit…,_ I find myself thinking.

"Save Armin Sarah," Mikasa yelled again her voice drawing my attention toward her again, standing up and holding the broken blade that was in her handle, " _Save him_."

The open-mouthed Titan reacted to her voice and was now heading straight for where we were and I turned my attention toward Armin again, who was on his back trembling with fear at the sight of a Titan so close to him and yet, surprisingly, it completely ignored Armin as he stepped away from him and this time, heading straight for the other Titan.

 _I…It ignored Armin,_ I thought shocked.

Then the lipless Titan let out a powerful roar which caused all three of us to cover our hears with how loud it was, and the other Titan let out its own roar matching his. I stared at the two Titans who were standing face to face with each other and the lipless Titan raised both of his fists into a hand to hand combat stance.

 _W…What the fuck?_

"W…What's going on?" Mikasa asked, her bewilderment loud in her voice.

The open-mouthed Titan charged toward the lipless Titan who swung his fist straight toward it's head ripping it clean off as it was sent flying some hundred of meters away and crashing into one of the bell towers in the distance. The now headless Titan collapsed on the ground as Lipless Titan simply raised his hand which was damaged from the punch earlier, but it healed instantly. Then he raised his foot and smashed it straight into the nape.

I snapped out of my daze turning toward Armin who had pulled himself up on his feet as he was watching the battling Titans as well.

"Are you okay Armin?" I asked him.

The blonde nodded.

"Yes…I am fine," he said.

Mikasa had joined us and took the blonde guy into a little hug at the relief that he was fine before turning her gaze toward the strange Abnormal that just killed his own kind while completely ignoring us humans.

"You guys alright?" Connie yelled coming to land beside us, "We need to go now before that Titan sees us."

"No," Armin said, "It's completely ignoring us. An ordinary Titan would have been on top of us right about now. It would have attacked even before we were aware of his presence and yet, it completely ignored us all and went for the Titan instead."

"Then just chalk it up as another Abnormal," Connie said, "Those things were always supposed to be an unpleasant surprise, right?"

I gave him a glance, "An Abnormal that somehow know hand to hand combat?"

"Well it's moot point now," Connie told me, "We need to get out of here before more shows up."

"No wait…," Armin said grabbing his arm, "Mikasa's tanks are empty."

Connie's eyes widened.

"What?" he yelled, "We can't clear HQ without her. What are we going to do?"

"The only thing we can do," Armin said kneeling down and removing his own tanks, "I don't have much left however, they would be better than your empty ones."

"Armin…?" she asked.

"It's our only choice," he argued, "It will only be a waste if I carry it…but please, just use it more sparingly."

Mikasa stayed silent as she looked away, shame appeared upon her features. It was basically the same thing I told her when we were in the back alley together. I turned my attention away form the duo returning toward the lipless Abnormal Titan. Unlike the others, it's body was quite fit more like a human person than the disproportion of the other Titans I usually see, and it was walking away from us…just ignoring us completely…

 _If it's attacking other Titans…then…could it be used on the siege at HQ…if we could use it somehow…_

"Sarah, c'mon we're leaving," Connie called out to me.

I turned my attention toward the group. Armin didn't have his gear anymore having given it to Mikasa and the group was looking at me.

"Guys…I have a crazy idea," I said looking at them, "Do you think…we can use that Titan for the siege at HQ?"

They all stared at me like a grew a second head.

"Wait what…?" Connie asked, "Are you out of your mind?"

Armin was looking at the Titan which was now letting out another powerful roar as it was challenging other Titans which were coming at him.

"I…It's possible," he said, "It has no interest in us at all. We already know that for whatever reason, he seems to be only interested in the other Titans…if we could get him as a weapon against the other Titans at HQ."

"How do you propose we steer that thing?" Connie asked, "It's not like we can just tell him where to go."

Armin was looking at the Titan again.

"I believe that it's mostly just going on by instinct," he said, "It's not much as we are steering it, more than luring to straight toward Headquarters. If we take down the few that he is tangling with right now, he is sure bound to go look for more and that will lead him right to HQ, I know it."

"You're asking us to risk our lives on such a stupid plan?" Connie argued.

"And if it works we might put an end to the siege at HQ without losing any more lives in the process," I said glad that Armin was that brilliant he was able to see the idea that I was struggling to put together with how shocked I was at the lipless Titan.

"it's worth a shot," Mikasa said.

"Huh?" Connie said looking at her shocked, "You too?"

"Best to take a gamble on Armin's plans rather than waiting here to be slaughtered," the dark-haired girl spoke out, "We have a decent shot, why not take it?"

Connie looked at her for a few moments before giving each and everyone of us a look and sighed.

"If we don't pull this off, we'll be a laughingstock," he said.

I let out a small snort.

"If we don't pull this off, we'll be dead," I told him, "Connie, you take Armin. Mikasa and I should be enough to get this done."

"Sure, sure whatever," he said, "Just make sure that this crazy idea of yours work…I mean using a Titan…"

He was starting to grumble as he approached Armin and I approached the edge of the roof, staring at where our Abnormal Titan was battling against its own kind. Mikasa came to stand beside me.

"Sarah…about before…thanks," she said, "I needed to hear that."

I gave her a glance noticing that her eyes were once again shining like obsidian again and there was emotions reflecting in their depths. I couldn't help the small smirk upon my lips. _This_ is how Mikasa Ackerman is supposed to look, beautiful and deadly…not empty and broken.

"Sure," I told her, turning my attention toward where the lipless Titan was, "If you ever want me to punch you in the face to get you back on track once more, you'll know where to find me."

I didn't need to see Mikasa to know that she had a small smile upon her lips and then in unison the two of us jumped off the roof, aiming straight at the Titans.

 _Let's hope this gamble pay off, because if it doesn't…well, I'll just have to resort to my transformation, and hope for the best,_ I thought.

* * *

 **An Abnormal Titan that attacks his own kind change the tide of the battle...**

 **Next Time:** Revival

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	13. Revival

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **But here is the next chapter so read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Narissa and Sarah standing back to back with their pairing blades in hand.

Chapter Thirteen

Struggle for Trost

Revival

 **NO POV**

Narissa knew there was something wrong with her best friend ever since they left the rooftops. Sarah was never someone to act purely out of instinct but when Mikasa Ackerman was giving her speech about how strong she was, Narissa had noticed an expression upon Sarah Gray's features, an expression that she had never once seen upon the girl's face before.

There was a crushed look in those amber eyes. It was like Sarah had just seen someone she loved deeply died right in front of her. Narissa didn't understand why that expression was upon Sarah's features but she didn't have time to say anything for as soon as Mikasa had jumped off the roof and launched herself forward, Sarah had simply moved running straight after the dark-haired girl.

"Wait…Sarah," she called out the girl's name, but the brown-haired girl didn't even look back as she jumped off the roof and launching herself after Mikasa Ackerman.

Narissa was frozen where she was with her hand raised in the direction that Sarah had ran off, feeling completely taken aback by what had just happened. There was no way that Sarah had just done what she think she had just done, and yet, her eyes didn't betray her at all.

Sarah Gray just flew after Mikasa into a suicide mission.

 _What the hell is going on with you Sarah?_ She thought shocked.

"Hey, are you going to allow our comrades to fight by themselves?" Jean yelled out his voice carrying out to the rest of the Cadets that were around us, "Because that's not what we were taught…unless you are a bunch of cowards, in that case, stay out of our way."

With that the young man ran forward along with Connie and a few others. Narissa had started to move forward as well, launching her hook forward and following Jean and Connie. She heard a roar behind her causing her to glance as the rest of the Cadets followed them. Everyone was now on board for the mission of clearing headquarters of the Titans…thought, Narissa still think that it was a suicide mission. Titans were swarming the area and with how low on gas people were, it was a bad situation all-around.

 _If only the supplies teams have managed to do their job, we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place,_ she thought tightening her grip upon the handles in her hand.

"Everyone follow Mikasa and Sarah," Jean was yelling, "Avoid fighting if you can…and try to make it to HQ without running out of gas."

Speaking of Sarah…

Narissa glanced forward, her eyes searching for the sight of her friend and spied her zooming forward ahead of her, after skillfully dodging a Titan that was in her way. Narissa couldn't help but marvel at Sarah's skill of the ODM. The girl was more advanced than most of the class during their training with how meticulous she was with her training of the gear to completely master it…thought looking at the girl now, Narissa wonder once again what was bothering her friend…

 _Sarah always analyze everything before she makes a move,_ Narissa thought, _that's just the type of person she is…when I told her how bad things were back there, she was thinking things over but as soon as Mikasa flew off, she just went straight…._

Narissa's eyes widened as a new thought had landed upon her mind as she was navigating through the air. There was something that she had always overlooked about Sarah, and because the girl was her friend…maybe that's why she overlook it but…

 _Could it be…because of Mikasa…_

Narissa looked at Sarah who was still some ways ahead of her. If this was earlier in the day, Narissa would have used a lot of gas just to be able to catch up with her friend, but with how little gas they had, she had to managed it as best as possible, using as little as possible to make it last to HQ which was still some ways away. Sarah always seems to be softer around Mikasa, if something like that was to be believed. The girl was completely oblivious when it come to things like romance and Narissa wonders how she missed that Samuel had a crush on her. It caused Narissa to think back to their training when she had come across Mikasa and Sarah talking to each other on the steps of the dorm.

It had been after a long day of training and she had simply saw them talking to each other and Narissa was about to interrupt when she had seen the look that was in Sarah's eyes when she was looking at the dark-haired girl. It stopped her from calling out to them as she simply observed the duo simply talking to each other.

She remembers how panicked Sarah was when they had reunited at HQ when the Colossal Titan first destroyed the Trost Gate. The girl had taken her into a hug. Narissa could even feel the relief that Sarah had been feeling by just hugging her.

 _People she cares about,_ Narissa thought, _she would be panicked…but is that what's going on with Mikasa?_

Narissa's eyes found Mikasa who was higher than them as she was quickly moving ahead of them, mowing Titans in her path like they were nothing and just as quickly moving forward exhausting a lot of gas from her gear. She was surprised that the dark-haired girl was even going that fast…

Then suddenly, she ran out of gas and started falling out of the air.

 _Shit…_

Sarah must have noticed for she instantly switched direction with a careful maneuver worthy of her skill with the ODM.

"Sarah," she called out.

"Head for HQ, I'll catch up with you there," Sarah called back.

"But…,"

"GO DAMNIT," Sarah yelled at her, and without even looking back she flew off in the direction where Mikasa had fallen.

Narissa looked at her go, feeling conflicted. She should go after her friend but, surviving out there means getting to HQ, even if it was swarmed by Titans…

"Jean, take the lead, I'll go after them," Connie yelled.

"I'll go with you," Jean told him.

"NO," Connie argued, "There is still too many Titans out there, you need to lead the rest to HQ. They'll need your help."

With that Connie left as well as Armin who had simply gone off course without even saying anything. Narissa looked at the direction that her friend was gone off to for a few moments before turning her attention forward once more.

 _You best get there in one piece you hear me Sarah,_ she thought, _Don't you dare die._

Jean have stayed as well as they moved on together, thought Narissa quickly noticed that the closer they were getting to HQ, the more Titans they were starting to see. It was covered in their studies of Titan behavior when they were learning about different type of Titans that they have. Titans were usually drawn by a crowd so the more people they were, the more Titans would be drawn to them meaning they must have a good amount of people in HQ for this many Titans to be drawn at one place.

Then they come across a large road forcing them to a stop as Narissa landed down upon the roof in a crouch. They were numerous Titans beneath them, around the ten to eight meters variety. She stared down at the humanoid monsters beneath with a light frown upon her face trying to see a way through, but with the road filled with Titans, half of them will die before they even get halfway through.

 _And we're low on gas,_ she thought, _fighting will have to be a last resort at this point…and with this many Titans…_

Then something on the ground from her left drew Narissa's attention as she instantly looked toward it. There was a Cadet on the ground a little farther away form where the Titans were and from how he was moving, he was trying to use his gear but…nothing was working.

 _He is out of gas,_ Narissa thought.

It didn't take long for the Titans to swarm him and Narissa found herself frozen in shock at the sight. She could feel her eyes widening as the Titan grabbed the young man and was bringing him toward his mouth.

"Tom, I'll save you,"

"Yeah we're coming,"

"No wait…," Jean called, but the two Cadets didn't hear him as they went straight toward the Titans to save their friend, only for them to be caught as well and then they were eaten.

Narissa stood there, staring at what was happening. Here she was watching her comrades getting eaten and yet, there was nothing she could do instead of standing there and watch it happen…

" _What happened to Paul and Jane?"_

 _Sarah had a surprised expression crossing her features at the question before a deaden look took over her eyes. It looked like the brown-haired girl had become…sullen at the death of their comrades._

" _I was chosen to lead the team and I failed them," was Sarah answer, "While they were being eaten…I'll I could do was watch."_

The words Sarah told her just earlier today came back to the forefront of her mind. Narissa, knew that with how skilled Sarah was, she would have expected her friend to do something at least but now that she was seeing what Sarah had seen earlier, and even when she had seen Wayne getting eaten…she had never really realized that she was doing the exact thing that Sarah told her that she had done.

 _All I could do…was watch._

She can feel her eyes staring down at the people that were getting eaten, hearing them screaming with terror and horror at their death and no one in the Cadets that were around them moved. All they could do was stand…and watch their comrades get eaten.

 _Was this what you saw Sarah,_ Narissa thought, _When Jane and Paul were killed…_

No wonder her friend was so closed off about what had happened to their team members if this was what she had seen…

"C'mon," Jean suddenly yelled drawing everyone's attention toward him, "Make for HQ, while they are distracted."

With that the young man launched himself forward, passing by the Titans who were completely occupied by the group they had killed. Narissa was then moving as well, following Jean's lead. If the Titans were distracted, then they could get pass them without being noticed…thought the way they had done this was using their comrade lives and it didn't seat all that well with Narissa at all.

Now, all that they had to do was reach headquarters who seemed suddenly so close now as she was alternating between using her gear and running across rooftops, the closer she gets to the area and then she took notice of the numerous Titans that were lumbering around the streets. All of them near thirteen to fifteen meters.

Narissa grit her teeth as she launched herself forward, focusing wholly on avoiding combat at all coast as she was waving in between the Titan's that were there, and she could hear screams coming from behind her and didn't have to look behind to know that some of the others were caught by Titans and were dying, but the girl continued to push forward aiming directly toward HQ and swinging herself across until she crashed straight through one of the windows, right after Jean had done the same.

She covered her face from the falling glasses and crashed down upon a wooden floor rolling until she crashed against a desk with her back. Narissa let out a groan as even more crashing glass sound filled the air with more of their members arriving into the room. Narissa took notice of Annie, Reiner, Berthold as well as Sasha, Marco among those who had arrived, but they were many faces which were missing as well…probably the few that had perished in their journey to reach this place…

"Your assholes," Jean yelled drawing Narissa's eyes toward him, "You guys left us out there to die."

Narissa stood up noting Marco holding the enraged boy back from a young man that was on the ground. There was another girl there as well as her clothes were covered in blood…probably not her own and she had tears falling from her eyes.

"There was nothing we could do," the girl was crying, "Titans completely overwhelmed us."

"It's your job to deal with it and back us up anyway," Jean yelled back wanting to rage at her but Marco was doing a good job of keeping him back.

The room then exploded as one of the walls was suddenly destroyed causing dust to fly everywhere. Narissa raised her hand to block the wave of smoke before lowering it and found a Titan's face staring at them from outside causing her to jump away from it, fear rising through her at the large eyes staring at them.

"Shit there is too many people,"

"Go deeper inside," another yelled.

And pandemonium follows as everyone around her had descended into pure panic and chaos wanting to put as much ground between them and the Titans as possible. Narissa glanced around herself, searching for a sight of her best friend among them but there was no sign of them at all…

"Where is Sarah and Mikasa?" she found herself yelling, "Anyone saw them at all?"

"If they're not here, they're dead," a voice answered her, full of panic and terror.

Everyone was on the panic as they were all running deeper into the building away from the hole the Titans were making with their heads. Narissa found herself staring at the two giant faces that were looking at them from the outside. The fear that was in her heart at the beginning of this entire mess had returned full force and it was then Narissa knew that she was going to die on her first day as a soldier.

 _This place…it's a mousetrap and we walked right into it,_ she thought, tears falling from her eyes, _It was a long shot to survive the siege but…I knew…we weren't going to live beyond this day…it's just a fact of life…_

The face of the two Titans were staring at her, seemingly straight into her very soul…

 _We can't bea…_

Then, a large fist appeared on the side of the Titan's face, causing Narissa to widen her eyes at what she was seeing, not wanting to blink or miss anything as fist followed by a large arm and both Titan's head were thrown away from the hole giving way to the sunlight outside as a large roar filled the air.

"What the…?" Jean yelled in shock, confused as to what was happening.

Then three shadows appeared from a window, crashing through, revealing to be Mikasa, Sarah followed by Connie who was carrying Armin in his arms.

Narissa stared at her friend shocked.

 _S…Sarah? W…What…?_

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

* * *

Getting our plan to work was a little difficult considering that the lipless Titan was just raging against any Titan he could get his hands on. Both Mikasa and I had followed him and flying by him, but he never gave us a second glance as he was completely focused upon the Titan he was now tangling with and Mikasa and I made quick work of the nearby Titans, slicing at their nape and dropping them quickly. It was like a well-oiled machine at work, me and Mikasa as we simply switched signal and working in tide as if we've been working together for years.

After taking down another Titan, I turned my attention toward the Lipless one noticing that he was already fighting another one, and not even looking at the direction we were trying to get him to go at.

"C'mon Rogue work with us here," I said in exasperation at the lipless Titan.

Connie having heard me give me a glance.

"Wait… _are you giving it a name_?"

"Look, I need something to call it in my head okay," I argued against him.

"It's not like it's a new pet," Connie said, and Armin had bemused look upon his face at our argument.

"C'mon Sarah, _keep up_ " Mikasa called out to me as she was already moving on another Titan.

I followed her as she worked on distraction and I spun behind the Titan before slicing at the nape causing it to crash down upon the ground. I pushed myself upward straight toward a roof landing down right beside Mikasa as the two of us look at Rogue finishing a Titan off by smashing it straight into a building and following that with multiple punch until the Titan stopped moving and was steaming, decaying away into nothingness.

Then Rogue turned his head…and his gaze seems to finally land at the direction of where HQ was, and I couldn't help the grin growing upon my lips as he set off toward it.

"Way to go Rogue," I chuckled, grinning lightly, "That's right… go wreak havoc on the rest of your kind."

"You're calling it Rogue?" Mikasa started, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't you start," I warned her before walking off and I swore I heard her let out a snort.

Rogue had started to run toward where HQ was, and I was pushing my gear to let out a much gas as I could, so we could keep up with him and they were a lot of Titans around headquarters, about ten or fifteen at least…too much for us mere Cadets to ever get a chance to fight against. I'll bet the Survey Corps would have annihilated them in their sleep thought.

Rogue got to HQ before the rest of us already taking on two of the Titans which had somehow smashed a hole into the building with their head and with an almighty punch, he had launched them off and into the street and after that he let out a powerful and yet familiar roar as the rest of the Titans were now starting to focus on him, giving us ample time to reach HQ and smashing through the window until we landed down upon the wooden ground of the building.

"Mikasa…Sarah," Jean said looking at us with shock, "I'm…I'm not dreaming this am I?"

Both Jean and Narissa were there, looking at us like they couldn't believe we were here. I noticed tear tracks upon her cheeks but the amazement in those eyes were giving me.

"Hey Jean," Connie yelled at him, pointing at Rogue who was passing by the large hole now, "Check this out, we found an Abnormal that has a bone to pick with it's own kind. That's right, this big beautiful bastard is our ticket out of here."

"A Titan…?" Narissa said shocked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Jean said, "Listen to what you're saying, there is no way…"

"But it is," Mikasa told him, "For whatever reason, he seems to only attack his own kind. I say let him rampage out there and what choice do we have? As I am seeing it, that thing is our best chance at surviving."

I looked at them all.

"Let Rogue take care of the Titans out there," I told them all, "We just need to focus on resupplies and getting out Trost alive."

Everyone was staring at us like they couldn't believe what we were telling them, but the proof was out there right behind us with Rogue simply tearing into the Titans that were around and since somehow, he knew hand to hand combat, Rogue was making them look like they weren't threatening at all.

"Fine," Jean said, "Not like we have a choice. Since the supplies team told us they have Titans below us, we need to know how many they are and maybe work a plan around that."

Armin nodded, "That should work…let's all get to work."

We all followed down into a deeper part of HQ as most of the others were seating around and I had removed the ODM gear from around my waist to check its gas component and I can feel my eyes widening lightly. This thing was almost empty…any more usage I would have done, and I would have been out of gas completely.

 _Good thing Rogue decided to go at HQ when he did,_ I thought, _or that could have been a completely different story here._

"It's out of gas?" Narissa asked me.

"Almost," I answered her, "Only three or four pushes of gas left at best…you're okay?"

Narissa nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said, "Just…today has been one hell of a day."

I let out a small snort.

"Yeah it has," I answered her, "And it's not over yet."

Jean and some guys had just returned carrying boxes underneath their arms. Narissa and I went to join where Armin and Mikasa were seating and the blonde had been working on a plan for the past twenty minutes.

"Courtesy of the military police," he said dropping one of the boxes down on the ground, "And covered with dust."

The boxes opened and inside them were riffles as everyone was picking up one and arming themselves. Narissa had picked up one as well getting to work on adding ammo inside the weapon.

"Are you sure guns are even effective?" Jean asked, kneeling in front of Armin who was looking over a map, "We might as well throw spitball at them."

"At least it's better than nothing," Armin answered him, "Anyway, we're looking at seven Titan in the four meters tall variety. If we time this perfectly, this much ammo ought to do the trick. First, we lower the lift with people in them to draw the Titan's attention. Two, when the Titan come within range, the group will open fire simultaneously blinding them completely, and that's when the crucial part of the plan come into play."

He looked down at the map.

"Before the Titans could regenerate," he said, "Seven of us swoop down from the rafters and slain seven Titans…that's it, that's the plan. It's all our lives on the line because if we screw up we're dead. It's a hell of a risk for one attack, but it's our only chance. Seven people must slay seven Titans at the same time meaning, we're going to need to best of you…the best of the Cadets more physically gifted with their pairing blades. You're going to be the deciding factor of life and death for the rest of us."

He seems to get down again.

"I'm sorry," Armin said, "But that's the best I could come up with."

"Sounds like a sound plan," Reiner said with a light grin.

"When you get down to it," Annie added, "The risk is the same for everyone."

"C'mon guys," Armin argued, "I'm willing to be argued out of this. One half baked plan can't be all that we have."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Marco told him, "As far as I see it, it's pretty well though out. I'm sure we can pull it off, if we all work together."

"All you need is confidence," Mikasa told him, "You have a gift for strategy. That mind of yours saved me and Eren in the past before, more than once actually."

Armin seems to be surprised.

"When did I do that?"

"She is right you know," I said drawing Armin's eyes toward me, "While the idea to use Rogue came from me. You're the one who broke it down for the rest. You're a lot more brilliant than you think Armin."

Marco stood up, his riffle in hand.

"Alright people," he said, "Let's go and finish this."

I stood up as well as Narissa.

"Careful okay," she told me as she held her riffle in hand.

I held the pairing blades in my owns.

"That goes double for you."

I followed after Mikasa as we were joined by the rest of the people chosen to be the seven slayers. There was Reiner, Jean, Sasha, Annie, Berthold, who were waiting for us and soon enough we were going down the stairs that will take us to where we need to go to get on the rafters above the Titans.

"Can we do this without ODM gear?" Sasha asked looking at us.

"These guys are only four meter," Reiner answered her, "The weak spot is just below eye level."

"He is right," Jean answered, "it's still one meter high and ten centimeters across no matter their sizes."

"Back of the head to the nape of the neck," I said reciting what had been drilled into our heads at boot camp.

Reiner chuckled raising a sword.

"If worse came to worse, you can always shove one of these up their asses," he said, "That's their other weak point."

"I hope you have some evidence to back that up big guy," I told him with a snort.

"Did I miss a day of class or something?" Sasha asked confused.

"Enough Reiner, you want your last words to be an ass joke?"

"Hey it was funny," Reiner answered.

"Let's hope Rogue didn't let any through," I said hearing the occasional boom from the battle raging outside, "Or that could throw a wrench into our plans."

Annie give me a look.

"You named the Titan?"

"Hey, everyone been naming the Titans," I answered her, "I mean, Colossal Titan, Armored Titan…Since Rogue is going against the norms of the rest, I thought it would be a good name."

"You're just ridiculous," Jean sighed, "And don't tempt fate Sarah. I'd rather not see more comrade dies if I can't help it."

"Sure."

The supplies room was a large room filled with tall columns and it was lucky that the Titans that were there were only in the four meters class. I was moving in position looking at them lumbering beneath us as we were making our way toward where we need to go. We formed a circle around where the lift was going to descends and I crouched down against the wall, already counting the Titans that were moving beneath us taking each of them with my eyes.

 _One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Six…Seven…good we're still at seven. Rogue you beautiful bastard...we own you big time for this._

Then the lift appeared with the rest of the Cadets inside of it as the light on top of it shone down in the darkness where the Titans were moving and then everyone moved as one to form two lines of firing squad one at the top and the other at the bottom as they were all waiting for the Titan to come at them and sure enough, the plan started to work as all of the Titans were now heading straight for the lift having just noticed them. I calmed down my breathing, griping the handle of the pairing blades I had in my hands tightly.

 _Any moment now…_

"FIRE," Marco yelled.

Suddenly every gun fired as the air was instantly filled with the smell of gunpower and smoke as the Titans stepped back, steam rising from their eyes and that was my chance. I took off into a run aiming straight for the Titan that was in front of me before swooping down with my two swords and with a good deep strike, the blades tore through it's skin and I fell down upon the ground in a crouch looking up at the Titan who was now slowly tilting to the side before falling down upon the ground with a boom. I instantly glanced around myself seeing the others taking down their Titans and I felt relief that we might do this…

" _Sasha missed_ ," Berthold suddenly yelled out.

"Fuck," I yelled out.

"Sasha back off now," Jean yelled at her.

I ran toward the direction were Sasha was and found her jumping away as the Titan had lunged after her and she let out a terrified scream. Mikasa came swooping down like an avenging angel, slicing the nape with extreme prejudice, taking the Titan down.

And just like that, it was over. All seven Titans were killed, and we were still alive. There was relief around the group as we all started to work on filled up our empty gas tanks. I resupplies my blades as well as my gas before I came to a stop listening for the battle going on outside…however, all I heard was the conversations of the Cadets going around me.

"Something wrong?" Narissa asked me, noticing my sudden stillness.

"It's quiet outside," I told her.

Narissa seems to just realize this as well. With my gear on, my made my way out of the building and launching my hooks toward the wall so I could get to the rooftops. I wanted to see if Rogue was still out there or if he had left when he ran out of the Titan…however the sight I found was not what I was expecting at all. Rogue was still there but he was pinned against a building with multiple Titans feeding upon him. I can feel my eyes widening in shock at what I was seeing. Rogue wasn't regenerating anymore despite steam still rising from his wound as his ribs could be seen from where I was standing.

"Sarah," Mikasa said landing beside me, "What are you…?"

She trailed off, seeing what I was seeing.

"You know…I thought that he might be just what we need," Mikasa said, "To give humanity some room to breath enough to turn things around."

"We can still save him."

Both Mikasa and I turned toward Reiner. He was there along with Berthold and Annie. Armin had come up as well followed by Jean.

"He is too valuable to simply let die," Reiner continued looking down at where Rogue was, "We need to get rid of the stragglers that's on him. There is way too much he can teach us."

"You get a way out of this nightmare and you want to stay?" Jean asked, "It's still a Titan…you know."

"Cannons got nothing on a Titan that like to rip apart it's own kind," Annie told him and I was surprised that she was going along with us, "Having an Abnormal as an ally could be an advantage."

"D…Do you hear yourself?" Jean told her, "It's not like a new friend."

The sound of footsteps drew our attention as another Titan was approaching forward and it was abnormally skinny.

"That Titan…," Armin said shocked, "That's the one who ate Thomas."

Rogue let out roar, moving forward despite the Titans that were still on his body. It was like it had become possessed by rage at the sight of the new arrival that was coming this way. Both of his arms got ripped off by the Titans on him, but he barely even flinched reaching for the skinny Titan and biting him at the neck and then proceed to use him like a rag doll crushing the Titans that were around him and sending another flying into a building which collapsed completely.

"Holy…," Jean said shocked at the raw brutality of the Titan.

Rogue then dropped the Titan from it's mouth before letting out a powerful roar right in front of us. Then it turned out this roar was it's last for he collapsed upon his knees and fell upon his face, his body starting to evaporate like the other Titans around him.

I stood there staring down at the Titan completely missing what Jean was saying as my attention fixed upon the area of the nape. Oddly enough, it had opened letting out a wave of steam and from that steam, a figure could be seeing lying there…a figure dressed in an oddly familiar shirt…

My eyes widened in shock.

The figure had moved out of from flesh that were stuck to his body into a seating position, revealing himself to be none other than Eren Yeager. Mikasa let out a gasp from beside me, launching off the roof toward where Eren was but me…I was standing in shock as was the rest of the group…

"Eren…you're…,"

 _A Shifter._

* * *

 **Eren revealed to be Rogue...**

 **Next Time:** Defiance

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	14. Defiance

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Sorry for the long wait and thanks for the awesome reviews of last chapter.**

 **Anyway enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah and Eren standing side by side as they were looking straight forward.

Chapter Fourteen

Struggle for Trost

Defiance

The sight of Eren Yeager seating inside the Titan's nape was burned inside my mind. I couldn't help but feel like the floor that was underneath me had completely shattered. It was the same feeling I once felt when Maria first told me about her able to transform into a Titan. The feeling like the world had changed considerably that what you would have expected it to be. A mystery that had been right in front of your face this entire time that you have never known and when it was revealed, the world was forever changed from what you knew.

 _Eren Yeager was a Shifter._

I knew firsthand that the Armored and the Colossal Titans were humans. Maria had explained it as much to me during the year and when you stop down and really think about it, it made sense in a way, when you have all the information that I had in my disposition. Not a whole lot of people knew a part of the truth about the Titans could have figured it out except for those people who were like me. People who had the ability to transform into a Titan.

However, not all of us were completely frozen at the sight of Eren being alive after told of his death. Mikasa, the moment she had seen him, had launched herself off the roof, aimed straight toward the young man who was on top of Rogue… _his_ Titan's decaying body. She ran straight at him before tackling the young man into a hug and even from where I was standing, I could hear her crying out. Reiner and Armin went after them while the rest of us simply stayed up there looking down at the impossible sight that was in front of us.

Both Mikasa and Reiner returned to the rooftops with Eren in tow and I was looking down at the young man that I have seen earlier that day, the young man that I believed to have perished along with Mina and yet, he was here completely unconscious but here in front of us. Mikasa was still holding upon him, her arms holding him close to her form as she was softly sobbing. The rest of us formed a circle around the duo, looking down at the two.

My mind was completely running with all the ideas that were inside my mind as well as many questions. Did Eren know that he was a Shifter? How long was he one? Who did he inherit his power from? Just how many Shifter are they out there?

I had honestly believed that the Colossal, Armored and my Titan were the only ones to exist. I didn't know why this had become an ironclad belief in my mind, but that was how it was for me. However, the sight of Eren being one as well caused that belief to crack and I felt strangely like I was duped somehow. I can feel my hands tightening into fists looking away from Eren and Mikasa.

"So…Eren did all of this?" Jean whispered looking out toward the street where multiple Titans were lying about, steam rising from their decaying remains.

"Yeah," I whispered, not because I knew he was talking to me, I just found myself needed to say something.

The rest were completely silent. I chanced a glance toward Reiner, Berthold and Annie and they were…strangely calm about this entire thing. Jean's reaction was pale as he was fearful of the Titans and Armin and Mikasa were crying because the friend they believed to have died have somehow, miraculously returned to them, so their emotional outbursts made sense however…

Reiner was just looking down at Eren with his face carefully blank of emotions, Berthold looked strangely enough, nervous than shocked and Annie was well…for the first time since I know her, looked…surprised. While she was not someone of a whole lot of emotions, she was just… _surprised._

 _People react to these things differently then,_ I thought to myself turning my gaze back toward the city in front of us and looking out there I could see large forms moving from the buildings to the next. I knew it was the Titans that were out there in the city.

"Let's get back to the Wall," I spoke out drawing everyone's attention, "If we stay here any longer, we'll be swarmed by Titans sooner or later. Eren may have brought us some time but that's all he gave us…time and let's use this time to get to safety."

Everyone except for Mikasa and Armin was looking at me when I was done talking. Reiner seems to have come back to himself for he instantly nodded.

"Sarah's right," he agreed, "We can't stay here any longer than necessary. Our tanks are full now, we have enough climb the wall."

Jean who was waiting for the signal to get out of here nodded in agreement and Berthold and Annie did the same. I turned my gaze toward the trio on the ground in front of us and made my way toward them. I placed a hand upon Armin's shoulder drawing his eyes up toward me. It was filled with tears as his blue eyes met my own amber eyes.

"C'mon Armin, on your feet," I told him, "We need to get out of Trost before Titans find us again…Mikasa, you too."

The dark-haired girl looked at me, but she didn't even fight the order at all for she stood up, carrying the unconscious Eren in her arms. I glanced at Eren, giving him a look over thought it wasn't hard to not notice the rip in his clothing like his sleeve and pant legs missing with blood in the clothing. However, his limps seem to be completely fine. I could imagine all to well what had happened to his previous ones.

Then we were all moving, leaving Headquarters behind completely making our way straight back at the Wall. Luckily, we didn't encounter any Titans on the way there, but I could see some on the distance which were crawling about against the Wall as we climbed over to the top of the Wall were Garrison soldiers were waiting for us to arrive. I glanced up at them completely surprised at them being here but then I noticed the spyglass that was in one of the soldier's hand as they were looking at us.

 _No…not at us…At Eren._

The gaze in those soldiers' eyes were all toward Eren. I know by just the expression upon their faces that they were aware of Eren's transformation and possibly have seen what happened when we pulled him out of it. I chanced a glance back toward the rest of the group finding both Armin and Mikasa helping their friend stand up thought, Eren was simply a lead weight at this point, barely conscious at all.

"There is a lift waiting for you," the soldier said formally, "The Captain is waiting below."

We walked straight to the lift as we all climbed into it. I knew that this wasn't there at the start of the day, so they must have built it during the time we were out there in the city of Trost. Leave it to the engineers of the Garrison regiment to work quickly in a crisis, however, as we were getting lowered down on the other side of the Wall, my attention was fixed upon the large number of soldiers that were waiting for us below.

"T…They know…," Armin spoke out, his voice trembling slightly.

"You can tell by their faces," Reiner answered.

Reiner was right.

When the lift reached the base of the wall, all the soldiers tensed considerably as they were looking straight at us. The man who was the captain there was the exact same man who was completely afraid when the attack began when he was sending us our to our post. I can tell my just looking at the man's face that he was completely terrified at the situation that was presented in front of him.

"All of you now, step away from Cadet Yeager right now," he called out, his voice cracking from the fear.

I feel my body tense at the order, my hand instinctively going for my blade, but I stopped myself from reaching the handle. That movement caught me by surprise, honestly, it was like an odd feeling of protectiveness that suddenly washed over my body. I didn't have time to figure it out as Annie, Reiner and Berthold did as the man had asked along with Jean, however, I was the one that remained standing beside Armin and Eren's crouched form. Mikasa had this look in her eyes as she was looking at the man. I knew that there was no way in hell Mikasa is going to part way with him again.

"Cadet Gray, Cadet Ackerman, Cadet Arlert," the man called out drawing my attention at him, "I gave you a direct order."

Jean, Annie, Berthold and Reiner were already removed from the scene where we were standing and all that was remained was me, Armin, Eren and Mikasa thought Mikasa had taken to stand right in front of all of us with her blades drawn almost like she was ready to fight the men off by herself. However, I was standing beside the downed Eren…

 _An image flashed within my mind…there was this woman in my mind and she was dead however, nine other people were standing around her like they were bowing to a Queen…_

 _There was another image of standing in front of a firing squad all of them wearing Military Police uniform as they opened fire upon me and a group that I was with…_

I raised a hand to my face at the sudden influx of memories but then I looked up toward the group that was in front us.

"I…I'm not moving," I found myself saying.

There was a sudden frown upon the man's face as he was staring at the four of us in front of him. The soldiers around us had their swords at the ready, and I knew that all that was stopping them was the captain's orders to attack. My hands stayed upon my handles which were sheathed, however, in a situation like this, I knew that the only thing I must rely on would be my transformation…thought, not something I would want to give their reaction to what Eren had done…

Then, from beside me, came to light mumble. I glanced down toward it, finding that Eren's eyes were opened but he had this grin upon his face almost like he was…possessed somehow. Noticing that he was awake Armin focused upon him and was about to say something however…

" _You're all going to die,"_ Eren said, his voice was loud enough that it pierced the dead tense silence that was around us and I feel myself becoming even more tense than before seeing how the soldiers reacted to these words.

 _Fuck,_ I thought.

"Eren," Armin spoke out, almost like he couldn't believe what had came out of the other teen's mouth.

Eren seems to slowly come back to himself before he let out a small gasp. I knew just by looking that the hot head back at boot camp was back, thought looking formally tired and terribly confused. Hearing him, Mikasa had glanced back as well, a look of relief appearing upon her features.

"Eren…are you alright?" she asked and the relief in her tone was heartbreaking to hear.

"Eren can you move?" Armin asked, "Look, listen to me you have to tell them everything. They're terrified but they'll understand."

The young man, however was still confused as his gaze found me standing beside him, glancing at Mikasa who was in front of all of us with her blades drawn and finally to the young blond who looked scared but was working through his fear in some way.

"A…Armin?" Eren spoke out, "W…what are you…?"

" _You catch that what he said? We're all going to die."_

"Yeah, can't argue with anything else after hearing that," another soldier spoke out from my right.

"Son of bitch want to eat us," another said.

The confusion that was upon Eren's features seems to grow even more as he was finally taking in the situation that he had woken up to meaning that everyone around us were completely terrified of him. I had found myself kneeling as well, thought my hands remained upon the handle of my swords, ready to attack or do something if the heavy tension that had settled in this courtyard.

"Cadets Eren Yeager, Mikasa Ackerman, Sarah Gray, and Armin Arlert," the Captain called out, authority however, the trace of fear was palpable in his tone, "the four of you have committed high treason, whether not the swift execution depends entirely on you. Any attempt that I deem suspicious or if you attempt to move from where you are will be meet by canon fire. Do not test me."

A canon from the top of the wall on our left was aimed straight down at our direction and I knew the level of danger in this area just risen to a level beyond what I had first expected. I stared up toward the canon, feeling fear trickling in within me despite knowing that I can transform into a Titan like Eren. It made me think back to Maria and the reason why she kept herself a secret from the military and I found myself understand her reasoning now, giving how the Garrison was treating Eren right now.

"Eren Yeager," the man continued, "What exactly are you? _Human or Titan_?"

Eren was frozen in his crouched form, his eyes wide with confusion but there was fear in them as well.

"I…I don't understand the question," he called out in answer.

That didn't seem to have a good effect for the captain was still frightened and seems to be getting more and more panicked as he continued to speak. He muttered something to himself before raising his voice once more, and the pure fear and panic within it was clear as day for anyone to hear.

"Answer me damn you," he yelled out, "Trying to stall will get you nowhere. I will blow you to bits with explosives before you can assume your true form."

"W…What true form?" Eren asked, his confusion upon his face.

"Please," the captain argued back, "We all saw it. You emerged from the carcass of a Titan in full view of your comrades. A creature of unknown origin, ability and loyalty has infiltrated Wall Rose and that creature is you. In other news, you are sanctioned by his Majesty is neither here nor there. You are a risk and it will be within my rights to eliminate. I'm sorry but I can't let this situation stand. Any more times I spent mulling over your supposed innocence put us at risk of an attack by the Armored Titan. Hell, as far as I know, you are in league with them and you being there is just a diversion for his attack. With humanity's fate hanging in the balance, I can't waste any more time and manpower on you. Do you understand, my conscience will not falter watching you die."

I stared at the man.

 _In other words, you'll kill him regardless of his answer._

"Sir we can expend less artillery as he is now," a random soldier spoke out, "We can kill him right now."

" _I wouldn't,"_ Mikasa finally spoke out, her voice glacial, "Not while I am standing here. Unless, you want me to demonstrate my own technique then come at me. I will be more than glad to use it against your traitorous flesh."

 _So…this is how it feels to be on Mikasa's bad side huh,_ I said looking at the girl in front us, amazed that she would speak like this.

"Mikasa, this isn't the way," Armin told her, "Even if you take down a few of them…but there isn't anywhere for you to go after that."

"I don't care," Mikasa answered, "Anyone who comes at Eren will deal with me. I'll take on the whole fucking regiment myself I have to."

A hand upon my arm drew my eyes from both Armin and Mikasa's discussion as I found myself staring at Eren's confused face. He seems to be completely terrified and lost.

"Sarah…just what is going on…?" he asked, "Why does everyone think…I am a Titan?"

I give him a long stare.

"Y…You don't remember anything?" I asked him, surprised at him and at how calm my voice was despite everything.

It wasn't like that for me the first time I transformed myself thought…the memories of that time were all to vivid for me. I had expected him to at least have some memories of transforming at least. Eren seems to fall silent as he was looking at the arm he was holding me with. The arm that had the ripped sleeve in it.

A look of completely horror appeared upon the young man's features as he was staring at it. I knew that the memories were slowly returning to him, probably remembering losing his arm and the leg in the battle that took place earlier today. He stared at his limbs, the ones that had the ripped clothing upon them…

"My sleeve…how…?" he started.

"EREN YEAGER," a voice yelled out toward him causing both of us to jump in shock as we both stared up toward the captain who had screamed out his name, the look of fear that was upon his features was visible as he was glaring at us, "ARE YOU A HUMAN OR TITAN?"

The silence that followed was deafening. Both Mikasa and Armin who were on their feet, looked back toward me and Eren who were on the ground. The grip that the young man had upon my arm was like a vice grip, but I didn't say anything for even I can tell that Eren was terrified of the situation he had found himself in. Armin was terrified as well but I can tell that even Mikasa was worried despite all her bravado earlier, she wasn't stupid. She knew that even if she was one of the best Cadet in our class, taking on an entire regiment who were more experienced than we are was suicide at best.

Then Eren gave his answer.

"I'm _HUMAN_ ," he cried out, his voice trembling from the fear but there was conviction behind it as well.

We were all frozen were we are as we stared back toward the captain in front of us. His face was blank of all fear and for a wild second, I thought that things would have calmed down. Eren's breathing shook from beside me and I can feel my own heart hammering in my chest, anxious to get this over with completely…

Then the captain raised his hand, giving the signal for the canon to fire.

 _Motherfuck…_

" _Sarah, go up the wall, I have Armin_ ," Mikasa yelled, grabbing the blonde guy that was nearest to her.

I didn't even question her order at all for I was already moving. The moment that I had seen the captain hand give the signal my body was on automatic, catching Eren by the waist and making a full-blown sprint for the Wall at the same time something flew out of Eren's clothing.

An old weathered looking key.

Then Eren pulled himself out of my arms, yanking me backward with him as he ran straight for Armin and Mikasa and at the same time I heard a canon firing from somewhere above us and then came to a stop beside the other two his eyes focusing straight ahead and then raising his hand toward his mouth and bit down _hard_ …

There was an explosion of light as well as burst of heat completely overtaking everything around me as my hair danced from the heat. An almighty explosion followed that as well as steam as something seems to envelop around me…

Then images exploded from within my mind…

 _The image of a church…as well as a crystal cavern…_

" _We need to fight back, or we'll never get outside of this Walls?"_

 _A young man looked at me. He had dark hair falling upon his shoulder and had look upon his face._

" _When I inherit that power," he said, "I'll make sure to do so."_

" _How are you going to do so?" I found myself asking him, my voice was male strangely enough, but I can also feel the apprehension within me as I was looking at my friend._

 _He gives me a smile._

" _Because that is our dream since we were kids," he told me, "There is no way that I will ever go back on my word. Trust me Ashler."_

Then I was violently tossed back into the present. I found myself seating in the middle of a large skeletal structure that was surrounded by wave of steams. My mind was still reeling from the strange images and visions that were within my head as I was completely frozen at what I just seen, but nothing takes me back more than the sight of the giant skeletal structure that was around me.

This was a Titan but…only half of one, as far as I could see…

"Eren," I whispered glancing around me, but the young man was gone, and it was only me, Armin and Mikasa all crouched inside the giant skeletal remains of a Titan that was surrounded by steam which give us of a enough cover from the Garrison soldiers that were going to attack us but none of them were approaching at us, meaning they were all frozen in shock or fear at what had just happened.

"Mikasa…," I called out to her.

The girl met my eyes. There was this underlying fear in her eyes, but she was holding her composed form quite well from where she was kneeling however Armin looked ready to completely break down as he was talking very quickly.

"They fired the canon at us, but then suddenly there was this wave of heat and then we are now seating inside the giant skeletal structure of a Titan…"

"Eren did this for us Armin," Mikasa spoke interrupting him from going even faster, "That's all we need to understand right now."

She was right. Eren did this for us, he brought all of us together and used his Titan power to block to canon attack that would have surely blown all of us away to pieces. However, despite all of that, I found myself thinking back to the strange memory that I have seen…

 _Just…what the hell did I saw?_

* * *

 **A strange memory burst forth in a deadly situation...**

 **Next Time:** Humanity's Comeback

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	15. Humanity's Comeback

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far and thanks for the awesome reviews.**

 **Now here is the next one so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Eren, Sarah Mikasa and Armin all standing together inside a giant ribcage of a Titan...

Chapter Fifteen

Struggle for Trost

Humanity's Comeback

The memories of what I had just seen were still flashing within my mind as I was slowly calming myself down. I didn't fully understand what had happened just now, with how these strange memories were unlocked from within my mind but I had a feeling it had something to do with my Titan ability. As it was the first time I was given the strange serum for the ability but then…Maria never saw any memories of anything at all, despite how long she had the power so why did…

"Armin, Mikasa, Sarah," a familiar voice called out drawing my attention.

The shadow of a person appeared on the side of the skeletal cage around us, emerging from the steam revealing himself to be none other than Eren who seemed to be out of breath. He was moving about now compared to how weakened he was earlier since he couldn't move at all. Eren stared down at us with his eyes wide.

"Are you guys alright?" he asked glancing at us all.

"Eren…how did you…?" Armin started, unable to stop the trembling in his voice, completely shocked at what was happening.

"I don't know," the young man interrupted giving the skeletal cage around us a glance, "But look, it's already starting to vaporize like the corpse of a normal Titan, let's get out of here."

I glanced at the skeleton noticing that steam was growing from it as it was slowly becoming thinner with red flashing from the steams. The skeletal protection that was around us was evaporating away and it won't be long before it was completely gone. I stood up from where I had been seated, thrown on my ass really from before Eren transformed. The said young man was standing in front of his decaying Titan's half body looking out toward the Garrison soldiers that could still be seen through the steam, but vision was limited.

"Hard to say if they are watching and waiting or just totally dazed," Eren said, "Supposed that it really doesn't matter either way. I'm sure once the smoke clear, they're going to resume the attack."

He chanced a glance at the direction of where the canon was, and I did the same as well thought I could barely see the top of the Wall from how much steam there was around us. Mikasa and Armin joined the two of us there and all of us turned our attention toward the slowly decaying Titan that was behind us. Even without the skin, I can already see the resemblance to Rogue from earlier today when we were out in Trost and the large skeletal head was lowered down almost like it was staring down at us, one of his eyes still there.

"After seeing this," Eren finished, "We lost any hope of reasoning with them."

He wasn't wrong. I am slowly starting to understand as to why Maria decided to keep herself a secret from this place. If this was the type of treatment she was about to receive…but more likely it's the fear. Fear that the people have of the Titans…fear of the unknown that is driving them to simply murder someone without even trying to hear his side of the story. I glanced at Eren who had pulled out the old weathered looking key that was hanging around his neck. The young man glanced down at the key in his hand.

"The cellar…I'm starting to remember," he said drawing our eyes toward him as he was staring down at it, "this key… _Our house in Shingashina._ My father said that I'd have to go back there and that everything hinges on it. I think it's the reason why he gives me the power to transform. If I can make it back to the cellar, _I might learn of the Titan's secrets."_

I stared at the young man in front of me, my mind going on overdrive. His father was the one who give him the power to transform? Not like I knew much about Eren's father to begin with but if his father had given him the power to transform then…that would mean, other than Maria, there was someone else living within the Walls who had the power to become a Titan.

 _Just how many of us are they?_

Eren smashed his fist against one the bone in front of us, his body shaking with anger.

"Why did he keep this stuff secret?" he raged, "How many thousands of Scouts have died because my father didn't share this information? It could be the last chance that humanity has. You mean to tell me that the answer has been hiding underneath our house this entire time? _Is he insane? Damn him."_

I stared at him for a few moments, thinking it through. Maria didn't share much information about where the Titan came from either despite her giving me the ability to transform into a Titan by myself. Hearing that Eren's father was the one who give Eren the ability to transform into a Titan…could he has been one as well? Like Maria was before me? Could he have known the truth about the world that was out of these Walls?

I looked up toward Eren's form in front of us.

"I think your father made the right call," I told him.

Eren turned his gaze toward me.

"How can you…?"

"Look at the situation we're in right now," I told him, "Just because they find out what you can do, the Garrison held us at gunpoint and were terrified. What do you think they might do if he had revealed this? The Scouts are only a small part of us as much as I hate to say it and your dad was no soldier. They would have simply dubbed him insane or done something worse to him."

Eren seems to grit his teeth in anger but before we could do anything else Mikasa stepped forward.

"Enough, we've got bigger things to worry about now," she said, giving both Eren and me a sharp glance to remind us the situation we were in right now.

It was no time to argue about this, so I simply give her a light nod that I understand. Mikasa then ran around the Titan's corpse until we were standing behind it. I heard the head breaking off and falling upon the ground unleashing another wave of dust and steam, buying us some more time to hide and think of a plan…thought how the hell are we going to get out of this before the steam cleared?

"Listen, I'm getting out of here," Eren announced.

I glanced at him, surprised that he already had a plan. Eren was not the guy you would go for quick thinking in a crisis.

"W…What? Where?" Armin asked.

"Anywhere but here," he answered him, "Then I head over the Wall and straight to Shingashina…but I'll have to become a Titan again."

"Y…You can transform at will?" Armin asked, surprised.

"To tell you the truth, I don't know how I am doing it," Eren admitted looking as confused as he felt about the power, "All I know is that I can. It's…hard to put into words almost like a reflex you see. When they fired the canon at us, I was completely focused on stopping the cannonball… _that's_ why it's decaying right now. It only had the power to accomplish that single task."

His breathing was becoming even more and more erratic. His exhaustion at being a Titan for hours earlier today and then to quickly transform again when he wasn't recovered yet. It was one of the drawbacks of transforming into a Titan…

"Next time," Eren continued, "Next time…I'll be a full fifteen-meter Titan slayer just like before…"

Blood dripped from his nose and he didn't seem to be aware of it yet.

"No," I said, "You're not transforming again."

Eren glared at me, "What…What are you against this Sarah?"

"She is right," Armin said, "You're pale…and your breathing is erratic, and your nose is bleeding, Eren _you're not well_."

Eren rubbed his nose looking down at the blood that was upon his hand. He stared down at it for a few moments before turning his gaze back toward us.

"As it stands, my health is irrelevant," he said, "But I have two ideas. The three of you could get out of here alive. I have brought you guys nothing, but trouble and I'll go off on my own."

I stared at him shocked at this decision of his. Did he really think he could do this by himself? From beside me, I heard Armin's sharp intake of breath.

"You're kidding?" he whispered, "Do you really…?"

"Eren," Mikasa said with a no-nonsense voice, interrupting the blonde, "I'm coming too."

"No way."

"I plan to follow you whether you like it or not," Mikasa argued against him, "I swear, I'll never leave your side."

"Knock it off," Eren growled at her, "I'm being serious here Mikasa. I'm not your little brother and I'm not a snot-nose brat."

I give the boy a glance.

"I don't think Mikasa is joking either," I told him drawing their eyes toward me, "You really think you can escape from here by doing everything yourself?"

"See," Mikasa said, glad that I brought it up, "You're going to need…"

"Hold on," Eren cut off, "If you recall I said that I had two ideas in mind. That was my first idea…however, Armin, I'll trust you to make the right call."

The blonde who was quiet this far suddenly looked up toward him at the sound of his name.

"Hear me out," Eren told him, "And yes, I'm aware of how unlikely this plan is but the best-case scenario is that I try to use my Titan ability strategically and under military command. This might sound crazy but if you think you can convince the Garrison Regiment here and now that I am no threat, then we'll go with that option. That is my second idea."

Armin was staring at him, eyes wide probably shocked at what Eren just told him.

"If you don't think you can do it," he said, "Then I will go with my first idea as a last resort. You've got fifteen seconds to decide, you think you can get it done?"

"Eren…why do want to leave such a decision to me?" Armin asked.

"Because you can keep a level head, no matter how ugly things get," Eren answered him, "And I think that's worth relying on."

Eren had a point. Armin was a brilliant young man and the plan he had came up with while we were at HQ back in Trost was kind of amazing. He had managed to come up with it by knowing how many Titans they were in the depo and we have managed to clear it out…even with Sasha's blunder.

"W…When have I done that?"

"C'mon you do it all the time," Eren told him, "Take five years ago for instance. If you haven't gone back to get Hannes, Mikasa and I would have been eaten by the Titans."

I was surprised at that revelation.

 _Was that what Mikasa meant when she said he got her out of bad spots before?_

Armin's eyes went wide with shock at he was staring at them.

"Don't tell me you already forgot who came up with the idea that helped many Cadets survived the siege at HQ," I added drawing his eyes at me, "Your plan against the Titan at the depo helped us lived through that Armin."

Mikasa seems to grin at that, nodding in agreement with my words. Armin glanced at me and then at his two childhood friends for a few more moments. The bewildered expression that was upon his face had vanished completely before determination took its place. Then, the young man was back upon his feet, looking at us with that same determination that echoed within his voice.

"I'll convince them," he said, "You three just acts as unaggressive as you can, agreed."

I stared at him for a few moments before giving a brief nod when his eyes met my own. Armin then turned around and walked off toward the direction of where the soldiers were hidden, the steam from the decaying corpse of the Titan almost hiding his figure from view. He detached his gear from around his waist, the clanging noise loud in silence around us as the steam was slowly disappearing revealing the row of soldiers to us and Armin come to a stop in front of the Captain who ordered our death.

"Have you finally revealed your truth form monster?" he yelled out, "I don't buy it, I'll give the signal to fire, I mean it."

Armin had both of his arms raised in the air, in a clear sign of surrender when I saw his back from the steam and I pulled a blade from my gear snapping one off and holding it in my hand. If things go south from this talk, then I will wound my hand to protect them from the soldiers.

"Eren is not a foe of humanity," Armin spoke out, his voice clear and loud, "We're willing to share what we have learned about his abilities with military command."

"Your pleas fall on deaf ears," the Captain yelled back at him, "He revealed his truth form and because of that threat he can't be allowed to leave here alive. If you insist he is not an enemy of ours then show me proof, if not, I will blast him back into whatever nightmare he crawled out of."

"We don't need any proof," Armin argued back, "The fact of the matter is, he is not what we perceived him to be."

That surprised the Captain.

"W…What?"

But Armin continued, "the reports said that hundred of soldiers saw him. Then, they must have seen him fighting other Titans and, they have seen him getting swarmed by the Titans as well. That means, the Titan themselves see him as they saw every living human being as their prey… _it doesn't matter how you look at it. That is a unrebukable fact."_

I could see that he was starting to get through to them as the soldiers were starting to think on his words. They were some that lowered their blades and from the whispers that were going around. His words were facts, the proof that the man had asked him earlier.

 _He really is brilliant,_ I thought looking at the back of the blond young man in front of me.

" _Prepare to attack,"_ the Captain yelled out, "Don't let yourself be swayed by his cunning lies. The Titan's behavior was always beyond our comprehension. I won't put it past them to assume human form to learn our language to deceive us. _I refuse to let this type of behavior go unchecked."_

I stared at the man, noticing that there was nothing but fear upon his face. I wrapped my hand around the blade that was in my hand, ready to move the moment that things became deadly noticing the soldiers getting into ready positions with their swords and their gun raising once more aiming straight toward us.

Then, Armin glanced back toward us, his eyes wide with fear at the situation not going our way at all. I glanced back toward him noticing his eyes looking at us and the other two simply nodded at him, having full trust in Armin's plan and then his eyes found my own. I feel my hand wrapping around the blade but meeting his eyes freeze my movements.

Armin was looking at us to give him strength and he had already has the support of the other two. I simply give him a small confident grin.

 _If it's supports you want Armin, I'm right behind you,_ I thought meeting his eyes.

His eyes seem to flash with the same determination before refocusing forward, placing himself into a salute.

" _I AM A SOLDIER,"_ he cried out, "And I have dedicated my heart to the restoration of humanity sir. _Nothing would make me prouder to die for such a noble cause sir._ If we can combine his Titan ability with the manpower we have left, I believe we can do it. We can retake this city. _For Humanity's Glory,_ and with the little time that I have left to live, _I will advocate his strategic value_."

I stayed there looking at the Captain who was simply frozen in his movement. From around us, I can see the soldiers were thinking about Armin's words and even the two that were with him seems to think it through and even one of them went to speak with the Captain…

"QUIET," he screamed at him before starting to raise his hand once more…

 _The signal to launch a canon attack like before…_

I wrapped my hand around the blade again feeling it pierce my skin as blood started to drip from upon it, however, before he could give the order, someone else caught his arm while it was still in the air. I blinked at the new arrival who caught his hand and I feel my eyes widen lightly at the sight of him.

Dot Pixis, the Supreme Commander of the Garrison Regiment Southern territory.

"That's enough," he spoke out, "You really should do something about that nervous disposition of yours Captain."

He glanced at the man.

"C…Commander Pixis?"

The Commander walked past him, as he approached toward where Armin was standing.

"Can't you see this Cadet heartfelt salute?" Pixis asked, "I have only just arrived, but I am already aware of our situation. Gather our troops, I think we can do these young soldiers the favor of hearing what they have to say."

Armin had collapsed upon his knees in relief while both Eren and Mikasa were simply shocked at the Commander's arrival. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding on as steam slowly rose from my palm, the wound disappearing completely. This was too close for comfort given the situation that I was in earlier, but I can think that it was luck that Commander Pixis was there…other wise, I would have revealed my Titan shifting ability to everyone around me when they clearly weren't ready for it at all.

I let out a sigh dropping the small blade unto the ground as Commander Pixis approached toward us.

"The four of you will come with me," he said, "I need to see how the situation is from the top of the Wall."

We saluted to him before obeying his orders. I wouldn't want to disobey the guy who just saved our lives from that frightened Captain that was with us. Using one of the lifts that we ourselves used to get down from the Wall, we were pulled upward. Me, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa were by ourselves with Pixis who had taken out a small silver flask and had taken a sip from it and from where he was, I could smell the alcohol.

"What are your names?" he asked us.

"Armin Arlert sir," Armin said, saluting.

"Mikasa Ackerman."

"Eren Yeager."

"Sarah Gray."

He looked at all of us, thought his face didn't change there was a sharpness to his eyes that make it seems like he was staring right through us. We reached the room that the lift was attached to and then walked out into the bright orange sunlight that we could see from the top of the Wall. A light wind was blowing through the area as they were few soldiers around us, thought they were all focused upon the work they were doing.

"How about you bring me up to speed about everything Cadet Yeager?" The Commander said as he turned his attention toward us.

"Yes…Yes sir," Eren said.

He explained everything to him, about his father giving him the power to transform into a Titan and about the purpose of the Key around his neck as well as the supposed secret that lays in his basement. The entire time Eren was talking, I was mulling things over my head about the strange visions that I had when Eren had transformed. Maria had told me that she never gained anything other than hazy images and that strange mountain that was covered in snow in her mind and I had believed her back then…

But with Eren showing that he could transform and then what he had revealed to all of us about his father having the secret knowledge of the Titans in his basement. Could Maria have hidden it from me. I didn't really know what to think about everything really, there was just too much that I didn't know…however.

I chanced a glance at Eren's direction. He still looked exhausted from his transformation earlier but other than that, he didn't seem to know anything at all.

 _Did Maria really not know anything, or did she simply choose not to tell me the truth at all?_

"Going to the basement should clear everything up?" Commander Pixis spoke out drawing me from my thoughts.

He was standing right in front of us looking down at Trost District, both of his hands behind his back.

"Yes sir," Eren admitted, "At least…according to my dad."

Commander Pixis turned toward us, "For the moment there is no way of validating all of the claims you've made. I'll just keep them in mind. However, I can usually tell between the sincere and the unctuous. I will personally guarantee your safety."

Armin and Mikasa let out some brief sound of relief at that.

"Cadet Arlert was it?"

Armin blinked before saluting, "Yes sir."

"You mentioned a plan using your friend's so-called Titan ability to retake the city," Commander Pixis spoke out, "Did you honestly believe it could work or were you simply grasping at straws to save your hides?"

I frowned at the question wondering exactly what the Commander had in mind.

"Well…both sir," Armin answered, "I was thinking that Eren as a Titan would be strong enough to lift that giant boulder and use it to block the wrecked gate…that was the only plan I could think of on the spot. I just…wanted to make everyone else see that Eren's Titan ability as a solution to the problem we all faced."

Commander Pixis seems to think on that, turning his attention back toward the city. I, however, was looking at Armin amazed yet again. This guy could really think of crazy plans on the fly like they were nothing…thought I was curious as to where he could have seen a boulder large enough to block the destroyed Gate of Trost.

"Granted, I was also desperate to survive," Armin added on.

There was moment of silence before the Commander answered.

"Desperate to survive huh?" he repeated, "That's about as credible as anything son."

Then he walked back straight toward us before kneeling to Eren's level.

"What do you say Cadet Yeager?"

"Say sir…?"

"that hole," Commander Pixis asked, "Do you think you can plug it up son?"

My eyes widened.

 _Is he really going to go forward with Armin's plan?_

Eren was surprised at the question too if the look upon his face anything was to go at. Then, he turned his gaze slightly to the side.

"Well…I don't know," he answered, "It's possible but now, I don't understand my power anymore than you do sir…It's just…I feel irresponsible to give you an answer."

Commander Pixis let out a small laugh.

"Of course, my apologies I asked you the wrong question… _Are you willing Cadet Yeager or not?"_

The Commander really was going along with Armin's plan if Eren gave him the okay for it…but could Eren even do it? It was already a long shot since he didn't really remember anything about his transformation into a Titan and there was no way of knowing exactly what could happen if he transformed again but…the Commander must have realized that as well…

 _Willing or not?_

 _Stand and Fight._

Ever since The Colossal Titan destroyed Wall Maria, those were the type of cards that we were finding ourselves dealing with over the past five years. I can feel my own hands tightening into fists at the thought. If we were ever going to do defeat the Titans…

 _We are going to be willing to do anything._

"I will do it," Eren suddenly said, his tone having changed from the unsure and uneasiness of before to the familiar hothead tone that I was used to hear back in training, "I don't know if I'll be able to seal that hole but… _I'll do it_."

* * *

 **A reckless plan moves forward...**

 **Next Time:** Glory to Mankind

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	16. Glory to Mankind

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new chapter as the Trost Arc comes to and end.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Rogue carrying the boulder upon his back while Sarah had Titan marking around her eyes...

Chapter Sixteen

Struggle for Trost

Glory to Mankind

It was good that Eren was determined to push through with that crazy plan that Armin had given Commander Pixis, however, going along on a power that they barely understood was like throwing a match inside an oil filled room and hoping that it didn't land on any of the oil that were inside the room. Safe to say, it was a plan that could fall apart at any moment.

Commander Pixis had simply given Eren some encouraging words like "You've had the heart of a lion," before walking off toward the edge of the wall to summon out his own people wanting to work this plan to get it off the ground. All the while we were all standing around looking completely surprised at what was happening around us.

"Don't tell me he is actually going along with my plan?" Armin asked surprised, "That was just something that I threw out there as I was speaking."

"Well, your plan has helped us survive this far," I told him.

Armin glanced at me, but he seems to be still be unsure about it. Eren who was still on his knees looked pensive where he was. It was still strange to see him like this, considering how Eren was back at boot camp always rushing ahead without a plan…thought, I guess almost dying and with everything that had happened to him so far, he was still absorbing it.

"But even going along with it…," Armin argued.

"I had the same idea," Eren spoke out drawing our attention toward him, "But he seems like someone who knows what he is doing. He seems like a guy who has a bird eye view on what's really going on. Someone who was able to see the forest for the trees."

"What do you mean?" Armin asked him.

Eren had a deep frown upon his features.

"There is a bigger issue that needs to be addressed before carrying out the plan," Eren continued, "And the Commander is keenly aware of it. _Titans are not our only enemies."_

Armin was surprised at him and Mikasa had a light frown upon her features as well. I turned my gaze toward the remaining territory of Wall Rose that was behind us. I noticed it when Commander Pixis did that small glance toward it drawing Eren's attention at what was really at stake other than retaking Trost District. This plan could very well be, a game changer for all of humanity however, with the reaction of the Garrison earlier at what Eren can do and the overwhelming fear that was upon their features.

 _If we don't pull this off…we're only inviting the true enemy how weak we really are…but something is strange during this entire thing…Where is the Armored Titan?_

I turned my gaze back toward Trost District, thinking. I would have expected whoever he was to have make a move by now and yet…there was nothing. Something was giving me a bad feeling inside my gut now that we were out of danger and I didn't like it at all…

"Look alive soldiers," Commander Pixis spoke out drawing our attention toward him.

He was looking toward us with a light frown upon his features as he was now join with two other soldiers as well, a tall man and a twenty something year old woman with brown hair. I feel myself straightening up as we all looked toward our superiors.

"The fate of mankind rest upon your shoulders," Pixis spoke out, "This is the staff officers that you'll be working with to get the plan you requested off the ground Cadet Arlert. Cadet Yeager, arm yourself with an ODM gear and with some new boots as well."

It was a good idea to replenish our stock if we were really going to head back out in the fight. I had replenished at HQ earlier but as Eren was walking toward where the supplies where, Armin was joined by the two officers that were with the Commander, as they were doing introduction talking about the plan that was going to help us get Trost back.

Both Mikasa and I stayed behind with Armin who was now in deep discussion with the officers about the plan and I was fixed upon my tanks doing a routine check on my gear before getting thrown into battle again. It was just something that I was doing just to have something to do and not stand around like an idiot.

"Sarah,"

It was Mikasa and the dark-haired girl was doing the same as I was doing.

"What is it?"

"Why did you stay with us?" she asked, "You could have gone off with Jean and the rest when that Captain told us to. You could have done the same as everyone and yet, you stayed."

I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Now you're asking me that?"

Mikasa gave me that stare that told me she wasn't joking around. I let out a small sigh, turning my gaze at the direction of Trost District seeing the amount of smoke rising from the city itself. Even from where I was, I could see Titans moving in between the houses.

"Because these soldiers didn't spend three years with you guys at boot camp," I answered her, "I did. I know you, Armin and Eren and I trust you guys. While Eren transforming was a shock for sure, but it was also a shock to you and Armin as well. That was all I needed to see that none of you were traitors at all."

Mikasa frowned.

"You thought we were traitors?" she asked.

"C'mon Mikasa, see the big picture here," I told her, "If anyone else had revealed themselves to be the same as Eren, wouldn't you have thought them to be traitors?"

The dark-haired girl stayed silent at my question. Knowing what I was, I found myself truly curious about what type of answers she was going to give me. It was like I had just asked her would she still think of me as her friend, if she knew that I was like Eren and kept it a secret? However, the difference between me and Eren was that I knew that I could transform, while the boy had just discovered that he could do it today.

"I…I don't know," she answered me.

I gave her a glance before standing up fully once more now that my checking was done. I looked out toward the city below us letting out a small sigh before turning toward the girl, placing a hand upon her shoulder drawing her eyes toward me.

"Hey, don't sweat it," I told her, "All we have to focus now is this crazy plan that the Commander is agreeing to push through and protect Eren as much as we can."

That seems to cheer the girl up a little as she nodded in agreement with me before her eyes focused upon where the boy was. Eren was walking with the Commander now, and they seem to be discussing something thought, what it could be I had no clue at all with the distance that was between us and them. I was still a little unsure about how Eren gained his ability, thought, I wanted to talk to him first but I am going to have to wait till this entire operation is over with.

"ATTENTION," Commander Pixis suddenly yelled out, his voice booming out as he was probably addressing all the soldiers that were assembled down below. I approached toward the edge of the Wall looking down at the large number of soldiers that were gathered down there.

 _Here we go,_ I thought to myself.

"the blue print of the Trost Recovery operation is this," Pixis bellowed his voice carrying out toward the soldiers bellow us, "Our main objective will be to seal the hole. You've heard that right, and more importantly, it will be done _manually."_

Commander Pixis then indicated toward Eren who had chosen this moment to step forward and standing in a salute.

"As for how the task will be done, that's were this fellow comes in," he announced, "Allow me to introduce Cadet Eren Yeager. Don't let appearance deceive you. In fact, this young man is the successful product of cutting edge science. Fantastic as it may seems, Cadet Yeager possess the ability to create and control a Titan body, _at will."_

I narrowed my eyes lightly at him.

 _Stretching the truth quite a bit there, Commander,_ I thought, _But given the situation. It's an all or nothing situation after all. That's the hand we've been dealt with and the hand that we are forced to play to win._

"Recall the massive boulder, roughly a league from the Gate," Commander Pixis continued, "Cadet Yeager, having assume Titan form, will host the boulder upon his shoulder and slap it to the hole and voila. This is where you all come in, your job will be to defend him…that's right, defend a Titan from his own kind."

I could see that Pixis's words were having some negative effect upon the soldiers. It was still unbelievable to everyone else what Eren can do and even if they believed it, humanity had never won a straight up battle against the Titans in a century. Not only that…given the faces I have seen since Trost was breached, and the same primal fear that I had within myself the day I first saw the Colossal Titan…not a whole lot of people are going to want to fight against those giant monsters again.

It was just the way things were…but Pixis must have realized this as well…he wouldn't have done this if he didn't have a plan in mind. I glanced at the man standing not too far away from where I was, now wholly focused upon how he was going to get this turn around.

"ANYONE wishes to leave will by my personal order not be charged with treason," Pixis yelled out much to my shock, "Those who have seen a Titan's horror first hand will not be expected to face such horrors again. Whomever this applies to, you may leave with my blessing. Additionally, anyone who has family they wish to spare from the same trauma may also leave, the crown will continue to recognize your service, thank you and Good luck."

 _It can't be…_

"Now think back four years ago," Commander Pixis continued, "Mainly, the Wall Maria recovery operation. I bring it up because you all must have your suspicions confirmed. We labeled it as reconnaissance but as you may have probably known it was nothing more than purge, a thinly disguise in population control."

I can't help but feel my hands tighten in anger at this. Maria had told me about this…she had even discussed it with me but having someone who had been in the army longer before the fall of Wall Maria give the fact to us…

"We knew this in our hearts, of course we did," Commander Pixis continued, "But we turn a blind eye to it. We supported the state myth because the death of our fellow human beings allowed us to survive. The fault is ours and we all share the blame. The citizen of Wall Rose has managed to survive thanks to the woeful slaughter of the people who had came to us for help. But turn about is fair play is it not. If wall Rose fell, the territory within Sina wouldn't support half of the citizen now living today. If we are wiped the face of the earth, it won't be because of the Titans…no, we would have done that to ourselves."

Pixis seems to frown down at the soldiers that were assembled on the ground beneath us.

"If a line isn't drawn then it won't be drawn at all," he announced, "If we must die today, then let us die here."

 _In this world…if you want something Sarah, you'll have to fight with all your heart to get to it. This world we lived in, it's going to want to bury you with cruelty and despair, but you have to crawl out with all of your might, but even then, you might not gain it._

Maria's words were so familiar now. Hearing Pixis talk was like listening to Maria's wisdom from so long ago come to life right in front of me. Maria really did understand how this world was…and I found myself eternally grateful for her because of what she had given me…

"Not once in this century of terror has mankind risen above the Titans," Commander Pixis called out staring down at the soldiers, "Their bloodthirsty advance had left us falling back, lands abandoned, territory left behind. However, should we succeed we will make history. Today is the day, land taken by our greatest enemy will be reclaimed. For the first time, we will not what it means…not to run but to face the Titans head on and win. It may seem insignificant compared to the vast glory of long ago, but this will be an idea, a symbol. Trost regain shall stand as a reclamation of pride beyond measure, a leap greater than we have ever taken."

I stared down at my hand, thinking about using my Titan ability during this operation. It would be risky to use it with so many soldiers attention upon the entire city, but if I can use my Titan form to take down as many Titan as I could…then, that should lighten the load on Eren's back…to give him enough of a chance to fight back.

 _To do that…I will have to be alone…not in any squad at all._

Making up my mind, I turned my gaze toward where Armin was and made my way straight toward him.

"Armin, can I talk to you about something," I asked him.

He blinked in confusion at me before nodding, "Sure what is it Sarah?"

"There has to be a signal of when the Eren complete the mission right?" I asked him, "Can you fill me in?"

Armin nodded.

"Yeah sure," he said, "We decided green smoke for when the operation is starting…red smoke if anything has gone wrong and yellow smoke when the operation is completed…but why are you asking me for?"

I gave him a light grin.

"To know when to pull out from the attack completely," I said, "I'll be able to spread the news about it to my squad."

Armin nodded.

"You'll join the decoy squad as well?" he asked.

"In a way," I answered him, "I best head out then. Tell Mikasa and Eren that I've gone ahead okay."

"Er…sure," he said.

Giving the young man a light smile I ran off, aiming straight toward the direction where the decoy squads were going to be set off. I need to head off into Trost as soon as I have enough information. If majority of the Titans are going to be drawn in away from the boulder, I would place myself in the middle of the city…far enough from the group of soldiers that I will be able to transform quietly, but far enough that Eren and the squad that I won't be a problem to them at all.

I'll finally be transforming into a Titan after _that day_.

With many squads jumping off to take care of the Titans that were going to wander off, so I sneaked off with some of them jumping down into the fray as well as I was now swinging across the city of Trost with the rest of the soldiers but quickly enough to get away from them so that I can be completely alone. I landed down upon a random roof glancing at the direction where I see the green some rising from a part of the top of the wall.

 _The operation is starting,_ I thought, _meaning it's time…_

I jumped down toward the direction of where I was and quickly jumped through a window and inside a house. It was completely abandoned with chairs turned over. It looked like someone's bedroom so I simply raised my hand staring down at it as these words came back to me.

 _If you're going to transform…you'll have to remember these words. Let them fill your very being as you become what you need to fight. What you must give your heart for…_

I snapped off one of my blade, taking it within my hand and sliced it, as blood dripped from the cut. I tightened my hand into a fist as glow overcome me completely.

 **GLORY TO MANKIND**

I could hear an explosion completely overcoming the room I was in feel my eyes become completely shadowed feeling warm flesh completely overtaking my human body and then the next thing I knew, I was seeing through the eyes of a Titan. A strange vertigo like feeling came after, a feeling that was familiar to me thanks to the first time I used the ODM, as a feeling of rising through the air completely overtake me as steam was rising all over my body.

Originally, I don't know how my Titan look like, but I knew that the form was female given the light bust at the chest and shape. My skin was grayish in color with the armor appearing along my arms and shoulder. Long hair which was snow white were falling from my head toward my shoulder, I was no longer Sarah Gray, Cadet of the 104th Cadet Corps.

I was now a fourteen-meter-tall Titan and I was going to accomplish the mission I had set out to be. With a soft growl escaping from my lips, steam escaped it before I set off around the city. Trost looked different now, looking at it through the eyes of a Titan instead of my own two human eyes. The city looked oddly small in comparison almost like they were made from cardboard or something of the likes. I set off in the search of some Titans and I found some quite quickly.

They were all the same height as I was, and I can feel the growl escaping from my lips, the same bubbling rage that was always there in the back of my mind at what was happening to the area. I launched myself forward at them, with punch aiming straight for the one that was the closest, sending his head flying off with how much force that I had in that punch. Steam started to rise instantly from my hand as it was regenerating.

The other Titans came for me, but I raised my leg launching a kick straight at the first one's face sending it crashing into the building. Still spinning on the momentum of the kick, I launched my other fist forward smashing it straight into it's throat, piercing through it as blood splattered everywhere. The Titan trembled from my punch before it fell upon the ground dead and his body, evaporating. But I was already moving upon the one that was on the ground. It was slowly starting to get up but a well-placed kick at the nape killed it. I gave the one I send through the house a backward glance to see if it was getting back up but there was nothing coming from there meaning that it must have died somehow.

I decided to get moving yet again, fully prepared on taking down as many Titan as I could before Eren could get moving on what he needs to do. However, before I can do all of that, something in the distance caught my attention and it was the trail of red smoke that I could see coming from a distant part of the city. It caused me to freeze in my movement, my attention caught at the sight of the smoke.

 _Could the operation had failed…._

Eren was a new Shifter…could he have some problem controlling his Titan body? Considering how he reacted when he was Rogue, going on a rampage in Trost, that should have been my first clue that something about it was not normal. I was too shocked about him being a Shifter that I didn't consider the possibility…I should have realized it.

 _Maybe I should have said something to him…_ I thought, _but if I say something at all…he would have been suspicious that I even know anything…I should have done…something at least…_

But now, I have decided to have faith in Eren. He knew what is at stake if he failed and I have my own mission to accomplish. Letting out a powerful roar, I knew I was drawing Titan at my location as I simply let out the same rage I felt against them when my mother was killed, ripping them apart with my bare hands as the Trost recovery operation continued around me.

I was completely focused upon the battle, taking as many Titans down as I could never really notice that my movements were being drawn close to where the Trost Gate was situated as there was a lot of Titans in that area, but I was completely focused upon the Titans nearby, crushing the smaller ones underneath my feet while grappling with the big ones and sending them face first down in some of the moves I learned during training.

A Titan chomped down upon my arm while I was resting, his teeth cracking the armor that was upon my arm. I stared at the ten meters before smashing his face down upon the ground along with my arm. I let out a powerful roar as I raised my other fist in the air before smashing it down upon his head crushing it as brain matters and other gores splattered everywhere. It let go of my arm which was now steaming thought the healing progress has slowed down. I was starting to get tired and I glanced up again, noticing the many Titans that were approaching me.

Letting out growl, I raised both of my fists into a stance to get ready for a fight before I unleashed hell upon them. Considering how slow the Titans were and how quick I was compared to them, I made short work of the large monsters. Since they didn't know any type of combat instead of swarming their prey in large group, with enough intelligence you could avoid Titan and overpowered them completely. When I took down the last one, the sound of a rhythmic sound drew my attention.

A large boulder was moving in between the building of Trost, completely covered in steam but it was moving. It was a slow movement but seeing that boulder moving, gave me a hope that I didn't know I needed. Eren had regained control of his Titan form and was moving forward with the plan. I must do my part to keep drawing attention at the many Titans that were still around so that he could have a clear shot at getting at the Gate and finishing this mission.

* * *

 **NO POV**

* * *

Armin was feeling a surge of purpose running through him. Ever since he somehow got Eren to snap from whatever had caused him to lose control. He had rejoined the rest of the Elite Squad to finally get everything done. Both him and Mikasa were down on the ground in front of Eren's Titan form, Rogue, as Sarah had dubbed him and they were now running straight toward where the Gate was so that they could finally accomplish this mission.

"W…What the…?" Mikasa spoke out shocked.

Armin glanced at the girl beside him noticing her expression before his attention was also drawn forward and Armin found his own blue eyes widening as well. He could see a strange Titan fighting another Titan in the distance. The sight was so bizarre that he couldn't help but wonder exactly what was going on. He can see the long white hair as the Titan with a strange grayish skin let out a powerful roar which seems to draw the many Titan's attention toward it's general direction.

 _It's…reacting, similar to how Eren was before,_ he thought, _Like the time we used him to take down the siege at HQ…Could it be like Eren…another human that could take Titan form…But who?_

"It's drawing the Titans toward itself," their Garrison leader yelled out, "Let's take advantage of that and get Yeager to that Gate."

Armin grit his teeth as he continued to run side by side with Mikasa aiming straight toward the destroyed Gate of Trost. He can hear the screams of the people dying around him but he shouldered on, moving forward with the plan that they were all holding themselves to even thought his attention found himself drawn back at the strange Titan and his heart jumped in his chest noticing the strange Titan looking at their direction, a steaming Titan corpse on the ground beside it.

 _Is it going to attack us?_ He thought.

But the Titan let out another roar. He glanced toward the front finding a Titan right in front of them but it's attention was drawn by the roar of the Gray Titan. With that Titan's attention away from them, Mikasa had used that time to use a maneuver to get behind the Titan before aiming straight for the nape, taking it down entirely leaving the way wide open for Eren to go through, and Eren continued shouldering the large boulder upon his back…but not only that, the hope of the hundred of soldiers that have given their lives for something like this to happen…

The hope of humanity itself…

The hope of the first victory mankind has…

With tears falling from his eyes, Armin screamed.

" _GO EREN_ ,"

Rogue let out a powerful roar, slamming the massive boulder right into the hole of the destroyed Gate of Trost District. Cracks run across the other part of the Gate, however, the mission that they had set themselves out to do has been accomplished…

 _T…They had done it…_

Armin had his mouth wide open as Eren's Titan from was slumped against the rock he had just placed in, steaming away. He the turned his attention back toward the direction he had last seen the strange Gray Titan but it had disappeared, leaving no trace of it's existence at all.

* * *

 **Trost is finally reclaimed...Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Honor Thy Fallen

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	17. Honor thy Fallen

**Hey guys here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the new chapter so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah standing in front of a large pyre in her Cadet uniform.

Chapter Seventeen

Honor Thy Fallen

 _Thanks to the coordinated effort of the Scout Regiment, who returned from their Expedition, and the Garrison Corps of Engineers, Wall Rose once again stood against the Titan horde. It was a full day of work dispatching the Titans that still lingers around Trost, during which the Wall mounted cannons fired endlessly._

 _Most Titans near the Wall were destroyed by canon fire the rest, however, once the smoke cleared were severely cut down by the Scout Regiment. During the Trost clean up operation, two Titans were captured alive, a five and a seven meter and were successfully restraint._

 _However, all told 207 people were either dead or missing, 837 were counted among the injured. So while the reclamation of Trost represented the first true victory mankind has in it's fight against the Titans, too many soldiers have fallen for celebrations to be in orders as well as the rumors of a strange Gray Titan which has been sighted by many soldiers…_

 **Trost District**

 **Two Days Later**

The city of Trost was still in ruins after the Titan attack that happened two days ago now, with smoke still rising from certain part of the city. Citizens weren't allowed back in yet as only military personnel were moving on about along with the rest of the Cadet Corps. The streets were destroyed, and some were littered with blood of the people that had fallen in battle during the Trost invasion. Which is why I out there with rest of the 104th to help cleaning up the city.

I always knew that dealing with the Titans will result in a high casualty rate. The Scouts showed that quite brutally whenever they returned from an Expedition with a trail of corpses behind them. It was always in the back of my mind during training too, but this was the first time that I was dealing with the aftermath of a Titan attack.

And it was…not something that I think I would ever find myself used to.

Dressed in my Cadet uniform, I was given long gloves to protect my hand and a mask to hide the lower part of my face, thought, that didn't stop me from feeling like I was going to be sick whenever I found what seems to be a half-eaten corpse with entrails lying down on the ground around it. Seeing such brutal gore made me think back to the lesson that I first learned about the Titan while we were in class about how the Titan didn't really need to eat us to survive…they were just killing us to kill us…

"Drop it down here," the voice of the Garrison soldier told me.

He was the one that was helping me carry the body that we found a few blocks away from where they were placing all the corpses. We both placed the man down upon the ground, his eyes and mouth opened in what was possibly his last horrified scream before he was bitten in half. I couldn't help the shudder than ran through me thinking of how he possibly died and from the roses emblem that were upon his shoulder, he was part of the Garrison like the man helping me.

"Keep it moving Gray," the soldier told me drawing my attention at him, "There is still work to be done."

I give him a brief nod before walking off once again making my way back around the street to see if there were any other bodies that need to be found. I walked through the street alone, searching around for a sign of a familiar face like Narissa or anyone form the 104th I couldn't any. Probably because they were all working on different part of the city.

Working to clean up the mountain of bodies that terrible day had brought to us…

 _That's the card we've been dealt with every since the Titans destroyed Wall Maria,_ I thought with a light shake of my head.

I continued to work throughout the rest of the day with numerous soldiers as well, carrying corpses to carriages and looking out to find more people and by the time the work day was over, I was tired. I couldn't help but feel like I had lead for hands and feet as I made my way through the mess hall of Headquarters. It was where most of the soldiers were staying and since our stuff was still there, many of us returned there thought the mess hall looked far emptier than it had been just two days ago.

I glanced around the room noticing that they were light conversation going on around us, as I searched for a sight of the group. I found Jean seating by himself which was strange since I consider Marco to be beside him. I haven't caught sight of Marco these past few days and it made me wonder about him, thought a part of me told me that he could have died during the Trost invasion and from the expression on Jean's face…

I decided to leave him alone. I doubt he is going to need me to speak with him. I hadn't caught sight of Narissa yet, thought I knew she had survived Trost after all she was in her bed before I left to work in Trost this morning. She could still be back in her bed and then, I caught sight of Armin and Mikasa, the duo was seating by themselves eating their soup.

I made my way toward the duo with my plate and took a seat across them. Armin looked up at me when I seated there thought Mikasa still seems to be lost in thoughts.

"Sarah," he greeted.

"Hey," I smiled back thought I could feel like it was forced, after seeing so much death these past hours, I couldn't really find it within myself to smile normally.

Mikasa looked at me.

"You're not with Narissa?" she asked.

"I haven't seen her at all today," I answered her, "I know she survived Trost but…considering that we were all on different part of the city…I hope to talk to her in the barracks."

Mikasa nodded saying that she understood.

"Say, what happened to Eren?" I asked them, "Last I know he was with you and the elite team to plug the Wall, however there was nothing at all."

"He was taken by the Military Police," Armin answered for me, while Mikasa had gotten dark again, "I'm pretty sure that he was taken to a jail somewhere in the city and under Military Police supervision. I'm worried given how people have already treated Eren in the past since his Titan was revealed…"

"They better not hurt him," Mikasa growled.

I thought about the consequence for a second. Most, if not, all the Garrison soldiers know about Eren transforming into a Titan and it won't be long before the Scouts become aware of it as well and given Eren's desire to join the Scout. I knew that there was going to happen soon with him…

"They wouldn't," I told her, "Eren is a well-known factor now…Given the rumors that have been going around, it wont' be long before the citizens known about it. They won't try anything that could send us to a civil war."

Armin looked at me for a moment.

"It could lead to that?" Mikasa asked.

"It's possible," the blond guy told us with a light frown, "And then there is also the rumor going around about that Gray Titan that was sighted."

I feel myself tense lightly at the mention of my Titan form. I knew that it had been risky to transform within the city, but I should have been more aware of the situation that would come after. Hoping that my unease wasn't shown upon my face, I spoke out.

"A Gray Titan?" I repeated.

Armin looked up at me.

"It was sighted somewhere around the Gate," he said, "However, the strange thing was it reacted similarly to how Eren did when we first encounter his Titan. It ignored us completely and only attacked other Titans. I think it's another person like Eren, someone who can create and control a Titan body."

"You sure about this?" I asked.

He nodded.

"Yes," he said.

I took a sip from my drink.

"And here I was thinking that Eren transforming was going to be the last surprise I was going to have in a long while," I said shaking my head lightly.

"Yeah," Armin agreed.

"You don't think they'll pin that strange Titan with Eren would you?" Mikasa asked.

Armin let out a small sigh.

"I don't know."

That was the big mystery isn't it. Not knowing what was going to happen next. I was concerned about Eren, concerned that the decision I made to transform in Trost would gather some more heat to whatever the military was planning to do with him. I knew I shouldn't have been this reckless about how I was using my power but…I just wanted to help somehow.

If I had gone as a soldier, I would have died. Maria would have been disappointed with how I used the power she had entrusted me with, however, Maria was dead now and I was the one that was still alive. I would have to decide the best way to use my power…thought from the looks of it, I'm going to have to be careful as to where I use it.

 _That is…if I ever get the chance to use it again,_ I thought, _But If I am going to have to use my power. I will need to be somewhere isolated…not in the middle of an entire city like Trost…_

The following night was when the pyre was set up as a memorial for the fallen that lost their lives during the battle of Trost. I was once again dressed in my Cadet uniform along with most of the Cadets that were presents for the Pyre. Burning our comrades was always something that many didn't like to do, however, with how little lands that we have already with the loss of Wall Maria, digging graves for so many people…it was just not enough.

They were some people that were crying at the death of the people they knew and yet, not one single tear fell from my eyes. I simply stood there looking in the direction of the flames. From beside me, Narissa looked pale, her eyes completely red from how much she was crying. The young woman was on the ground on her knees, her shoulders shaking with her sobs.

I stared down toward her for a few moments, before kneeling beside my friend. I placed a hand upon her shoulder, but she didn't give me any sign that she even felt it, so I simply stayed with her throughout the entire night, long enough that the flame burned low and that most of the Cadets have left.

"Are you still planning to join the Scouts?" Narissa asked when her crying had subsided.

We were both seating on the ground side by side with each other on the steps of HQ. It was still nighttime and we had just left the pyre behind, watching our friends burn as all evidence that they were alive was completely destroyed save for our memories of them. I let out a soft agreeing sound to her.

"But why?" she asked, turning toward me, "You saw what the price is…how long it is before it's your body that it's been burned."

"I made a vow to myself that I would join the Scouts," I answered her, "Even before I joined the Cadets. I knew first hand what type of horror would be waiting for me when I make this decision. I'm not about to change that decision."

Narissa shook her head.

"I…I don't think I would be able to stomach it," she said, "Mina, Hannah, Franz, Samuel, Marco…people we've trained side by side for three whole years…and all it took was one day for all of them to die."

I give her a sideway glance.

"It's why I believe you'll do well as part of the Garrison," I told her.

Narissa stayed silent as the two of us looked at the Wall in front of us. The citizens were going to be allowed back to the city tomorrow, the very city that we've spent the past two days cleaning up the remains from.

"Am I really cut out to be a soldier?" she asked softly.

I threw an arm around her shoulder, bringing her close to me. Narissa placed her head upon my shoulder, her long hair falling upon her face. She was still as pale as she was before, her form lightly trembling from the cool night air, but it was the last thing in my mind right now as I was looking out toward distance in front of us.

"You have a good head on your shoulder Phel," I told her, "I think that's something that many will be glad for. Give you a month and you will be a Captain of your own team."

Narissa let out a small snort.

"Don't make me laugh," she said, "I'm too exhausted to even do that. I can still remember them you know, Mina and Hannah. We were all so…proud to be soldiers all of us expected to have long career and yet…none of them survived."

Narissa suddenly straightened up, her eyes meeting my own.

"I want you to promise me something Sarah," she said, "I know how selfish it's going to sound, and I know that I have no right to place such a burden on your shoulder but…I want you to always return alive you hear me. I don't want to lose you as well."

Her eyes were so desperate, I realized. My friend, the one girl that was always beside me was broken. The fight that had happened in Trost District had left many scars behind, however, the raw desperation I see in those eyes of hers just made me realized how broken Narissa had become. It suddenly explains why she was so elusive these past few days. Like she was hiding away from everything that had happened and coming to the pyre funeral had released the lock she had on it and all her emotions were now pouring out.

I nodded.

"I promise," was my answer, "I promise that I will use every skill I have, every ounce of strength that I possess, to make it back alive."

She nodded.

"I believe you."

It was a foolish promise to make.

But after seeing that look in her eyes, the look that I once wore after Wall Maria fell, I was determinate to reassure her in anyway I could. It was something that my mother would have done unlike Maria who simply told me to stand up and stop crying.

While my aunt may have helped me gain the strength I needed to fight, I was not as cynical as she was.

I guess I am more like my mother than I thought.

The next two days, the rumors about Eren grew exponentially. It was like a spark which had somehow turned into a large wildfire. It seems that everyone was talking about the young man and because of that there was also rumors about the Scouts getting interesting in having him join their ranks, while the Military Police has their own plan.

"An armistice over Eren?" Mikasa asked surprised.

Me, Narissa, Mikasa and Armin were all seating together on a table enjoying our breakfast, but I mostly think that I was the one that had led Narissa here as we were all together.

"So…the rumors about him transforming into a Titan are true?" Narissa asked giving us a stupefied look.

I nodded in confirmation. Her eyes got even more impossibly wide at that.

"I think they're going to decide what they're going to do with him," Armin spoke out, keeping his voice level.

"What does that mean?" Mikasa asked frowned.

"They're going to decide whether he is going to live or die,"

Mikasa instantly stood up, her eyes wide and horrified at the thought of Eren's death yet again. Given the Garrison's reaction when Eren first transformed and the many rumors going on about him. They probably wanted to deal with the situation as quickly as possible before the situation gets any worse.

The entrance of the room opened drawing my attention toward it. Standing there were three soldiers wearing Military Police sigil upon their jackets. Two of them were holding riffles in their hands while the large man with the full bear was holding a clipboard in his hand.

"Cadets, Mikasa Ackerman, Armin Arlert, Sarah Gray," the man yelled out, in a strong voice, "Up to soldiers."

I feel my eyes widening in shock at being called out, but I obeyed the order given. Both Armin and Mikasa were also surprised at being called out.

"Sir," we all saluted.

The man stared at us.

"You three have been ordered to attend and act as witness in today's deliberation," the man announced to us.

Chosen as witnesses? Choosing Armin and Mikasa I understand since they've known Eren the longest but why am I being called out?

I exchanged a glance with the other two before Armin walked forward along with Mikasa but Narissa took hold of my arm as I stood up from where I was seating.

"Do you know why you're called out?" she whispered to me.

"I don't know," I answered, "I'll see you later."

Narissa nodded letting go of my arm. I went toward the other two following the MPs, all the while, a strange feeling of apprehension was growing within my guts.

* * *

 **so ends this chapter.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Judgment.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	18. Judgment

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far. There is a light deviation from canon in this chapter as well, which you will see as you read but anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Eren kneeling down as he was tied to a pole with both MP and Scouts symbols on either side of him as they were balanced upon a justice balance.

Chapter Eighteen

Judgment

I was curious as to why I was called out.

I didn't need to be here in the Trial for Eren and yet, I was called out. I didn't know the full reason as to why something like that had happened, but I was also curious about how this thing is going to go. While I was walking around freely, Eren was lock up in a cell these past few days. I didn't know what this trial would contain, however, but I was curious as to why it would happen quickly, thought it could have something to do with the rumors going on around about now.

Eren's Titan appearance was not something that many could keep under wraps as many people were already aware of his existence with the newspaper having spoken about his very existence and that they were a Titan under our control. It was causing a civil unrest like I predicted it would, however, there was also the underlying fear that people have about everything Titan related…

The carriage we were riding in came to a stop and both Mikasa and I stepped out first with Armin following us. A well looked building was standing in front of us with a statue of a angel holding what seems to be a balance…the symbol of Justice itself. I stared at the sight for a few more moments before making my way forward following the other two.

"This many people here for Eren's trial?" Armin asked surprised.

It was surprising, yet not surprising at the same time. They were many people there, mostly merchants from how well dressed they were and they were other civilians as well all of them talking to each other. Military Police were also present, armed and they were keeping the security of this place. They were some Garrison soldiers present as well and I recognized Pixis present as well and he was taking a sip from his flask as his soldiers were standing around with him. Out of the corner of my eyes, I found the Scouts Regiment.

They were not that many of them present thought I instantly recognized that tall blond-haired statue of a man. The leader of the Regiment himself, Erwin Smith and beside him was a short dark-haired man that looked like he was strangely pissed off with how much he was frowning from where he was standing. That must be Levi, the Strongest Soldier.

"Considering the situation, it's not surprising," I told him, "Eren's presence is already causing civil unrest with what he can do. They must want to deal with him as quickly as possible."

Mikasa gave me a sideway glance but she didn't say anything at all. There was this tenseness about the girl as she was glancing around the many people that were around us almost like she was searching for someone.

"Then…Dhalis Zachary is the one going to preside over this isn't it?" Armin guessed.

Mikasa was confused.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"He is the Premier of all three Military Branches," Armin explained to her, "All the Commanders reports to him directly. He is the one that is going to have to decide whether Eren can live or die."

"The Scouts must want Eren if they are here," I said looking at the few members I have seen, "Having Eren part of them would bolster a lot of confidence and could use him to retake Wall Maria. That's the most logical plan they could have."

"Would it be enough?" Mikasa asked.

"For Eren's sake, let's hope so," I answered her.

"You three," a female voice called out, "Come with me."

It was a woman of my height, with silver white hair and glasses seating upon her face. I stared at her, taking in where I have seen her before realizing that she was present during the time we were under cannon fire by the Garrison Regiment and she had been on the Wall before the Trost Recovery Operation.

"Good to see you three again," she said looking at all of us, "Thought I hoped under better circumstance that this. I'm Rico Brenzka, if you didn't already know. Come on, let's take our place since the hearing is about to start."

We followed the woman since I was the last one following I bumped against someone at the door who was also entering at the same time we were. I stopped and glanced at the person I bumped into, finding a long black robe with chains around the man's neck.

"I'm sorry," I told him.

The man looked at me and his face paled slightly as he met my eyes but other than that he didn't say anything at all as he simply walked off without saying anything at all. Blinking in confusion at what had happened, I hurried to catch up with Armin and the rest as we took our place along with everyone that was taking their seats. The room was gorgeous if I could say so myself and well cleaned and aired. There was a large painting on the ceiling and upon the far wall was the sigil of the three Military Branches of the Wall.

As I stood beside Armin, I continued to glance around taking notice of the Military Police soldiers who were all seating there talking to each other right across us. I took notice of the black robed man standing beside the Military Police soldiers. The man had both of his arms crossed over his chest as he was conversing with another man as well.

 _A Wall Cultist,_ I thought.

Then the man finished his conversation and looked up, his eyes finding me looking at him but the second our eyes met, I instantly turned my attention elsewhere making it seems like I was simply taking in the sight around me. The way he reacted to me back at the entrance of the room was still puzzling to me but before I could think on it any further, the large front door was opened again drawing everyone's attention and I heard chains clinking.

"Move it," a voice spoke out in the dead silence that had settled within the room.

The figure of a pale Eren Yeager walked forward into the courthouse with both of his hand chained behind his back, two MPs who had gun aimed at him. The young man looked fine with all things considered and he seems to be completely out of the loop about what was going, or why he was here. He approached toward the front of the courthouse with a small hole upon an elevated stone.

"On your knees now," the soldier told him.

Eren did as he was asked, and a pole was placed there, holding his chained hands into place so that he couldn't move at all. I feel my hands tighten lightly at how they were treating him but I stayed still looking at the confused young man who was looking around before his eyes fell on our direction and surprise appeared upon his features at seeing us there.

I gave him a light smile of encouragement when his eyes fell upon me but that was all I could do before the sound of a door opening and closing drew our attention. An older man had just entered the room carrying a coat under his arms. He stepped into the seat of the chair in the middle of the elevated table in front of Eren. He looked strangely like a grandfather figure like someone who had a lot of old wisdom to share.

However, this man was Dhalis Zachary, the man who will decide Eren's fate.

"All right," he spoke out, "Shall we begin?"

Everyone was staring at him now and Zachary worked through some papers and reading through them.

"Your name is Eren Yeager," he said, "As a soldier you have sworn to give up your life if called to, for the good of the people if that's correct."

"Yes," Eren answered, his voice small.

"As an enlisted soldier during a time of war," Zackary continued, "Military doctrine indicate that your tribunal be leading by a court martial. As a commander of our arm forces, this matter is left to my discretion."

He looked up at Eren.

"So, I will decide, whether you live or you die. Any objections?"

 _So, it was about that,_ I thought looking at Zackary.

"No sir," was Eren' answer.

"Your astuteness is appreciated," Zackary spoke out, "Now then, let us proceed. As expected, keeping your existence a secret has been proved fruitless. Unless we publicly expose your existence, one way or another, we risk widespread civil unrest. A choice must be made, a regiment must take custody of you will determine your fate. The Military Police, or the Scout Regiment. To begin, the Military Police will present their case."

A man stood up. He was a think man with black hair and a narrowed face, but he was frowning lightly as he had started to speak.

"Thank you, my name is Nile Dok and I am the Commander of the Military Police," the man spoke out, "We propose this. Preceding a throughout examination of his physiology, subject Eren Yeager should be disposed of immediately. We acknowledge that Yeager's ability played an important part in pushing back the latest Titan invasion, however, has as it been stated, his very existence is causing civil unrest. For the greater good, after we have gathered enough information about him, Eren Yeager will be made a fallen hero of Humanity."

 _Oh sure,_ I thought, _destroy the only thing that could turn the tide in this war…they're so afraid that they're not even going to consider any alternative…_

The image of the scared Garrison soldier that blasted us with cannon fire appeared within my mind again.

 _Just like that guy…_

"Unacceptable," a voice shouted out, "This fiend has managed to defile our Walls with his presence. We should dispose of him now."

"Pastor Nick, please remain silent," Zackary spoke out calmly causing the pastor to grit his teeth in anger, "Now, I will like to hear what the Scouts will propose."

The tall blond form of Erwin Smith spoke out.

"Yes sir," he said, "As the Commander of the Survey Corps, I Erwin Smith propose this plan. Allow Eren to join our ranks and reinstated him as a Scout. We will utilise his Titan form to retake Wall Maria, that is all."

They were surprising sounds coming from everyone else and even I was surprised as well. Sure I knew that what I thought they going to propose, but I expected… _more_. Zackary seems to be surprised as well.

"That's it?"

"Yes," Erwin spoke out, "With his assistance sir, I am confident that we can retake Wall Maria, ergo, I believe our top priority should be clear."

"That's quite bold," Zackary said, "Assuming you were given clearance, where would you launch this operation. Commander Pixis, the Wall in Trost District has been completely sealed."

Pixis nodded.

"I doubt it's Gate will ever opened again," The Garrison Commander answered.

"We'll depart from Coloneth District to the East," Erwin announced, "From there we will head straight for Shingashina. A new route could be established as we proceed…"

"But that's ridiculous," a voice yelled out, "Our time and money would be better spent sealing all of the Gates. They're the only part that the Colossal Titan can destroy isn't it? Let just seal the thing and wash our hands of the entire affair."

"Shut the hell up you merchant dog," a Scout yelled, "With a Titan on our side, we can finally retake Wall Maria."

"We're fed up with you playing hero all the time," the merchant argued back.

"Squealing louder won't help your case pig," a stern voice spoke out, "While we are bolstering our defenses, do you think the Titans are just going to stand idly by, and when you said we…do you speak for anyone else other than your fat merchant friends?"

I turned my gaze at the direction of where the voice was coming from and found that it was Levi who was talking and his eyes were glaring at the direction of where the merchant was standing at.

"Do you people even realize just how much people are struggling from the little lands we have left?" Levi asked.

"Were only suggesting that we seal the Gate to keep ourselves safe…"

"Enough of your insolence," Pastor Nick shouted at the man, "How dare you suggest such a thing to our sacred Rose gifted to us from the Goddesses?"

"You look upon work of the Goddess and you dare suggest such a thing?"

"It was their fault that the fortification of the Walls took so long," Armin spoke softly from beside me.

"Five years ago these guys were a laughingstock and now…they enough power to pull something like that?" I said frowning lightly at the Pastor.

"That should show you how much power they've gained since then," Rico said.

As the argument were getting more and more intense, Zackary decided to interrupt them, tapping upon the desk with his hand to get the courtroom under control.

"Argue about your belief somewhere else," he spoke out, "Yeager, can you still fight for humanity as a soldier as well as a Titan?"

"Yes I can," Eren answered.

"Oh," Zackary said, "But this report from Trost said otherwise and I quote "Swung his fist at Mikasa Ackerman right after he transformed."

Eren glanced at our direction, more likely at Mikasa his eyes wide with shock. I chanced a glance at Mikasa as well noticing how she was holding her hair down to a scar that was upon her cheek. I had wondered where she had gotten it. That must mean, that took place during the time when I saw the red smoke back in Trost.

 _He lost control and he don't even remember it._

"Is Mikasa Ackerman present?" Zackery spoke out.

"yes, I am," Mikasa spoke out.

Zackary give her a look, "Is what was reported true?"

Mikasa stayed silent for a moment, her eyes briefly going to Eren and I heard Rico mutter something to her but was too soft for me to hear, but then, she answered.

"Yes, it's true," she admitted.

There was an unease taking place around us as people whispered around us.

"However, he also saved our lives two times before that, and each time using his Titan ability." Mikasa continued, "First, shortly after Trost fell, he protected me, Sarah and Armin from a Titan attack and then again, when we were under canon fire by the Garrison regiment, I implore you to take these under consideration as well."

"Objection," Nile Dok called out, "I have belief that personal feelings play a large part in her testimony. Let the record shown that Mikasa Ackerman was adopted by the Yeager family as an orphan. What's more, our own investigation in the matter led to a shocking true. At the tender age of nine, both Eren and Mikasa dealt with three adult kidnappers by stabbing them to death."

I feel my eyes widen at the news, giving Mikasa a small sideway glance noticing how angry she was. I turned my gaze toward the man.

"All can say that this was done in self defense," Nile continued, "But one cannot dismiss the violence of the act. Knowing all of this, should we really invest in him? Money, manpower…maybe even the fate of us all."

I was thoroughly pissed off at this man. While I didn't really know the reason why Mikasa was always with Eren but then knowing this, somehow, I can find myself understanding them a little better at least, just a little bit.

"Did you expect kidnappers to play by the rules Commander Dok?"

Everyone's attention turned toward me. I was glaring at the man across me, my hands behind my back however, the pure rage I was feeling at the man's callousness of the situation, at something that was painful for both Eren and Mikasa…possibly even more to Mikasa.

"You said that this was done in self defense," I continued looking at the man, "So there is no wrong done by two children trying to survive a kidnapping…or is it more socially acceptable for two children to be kidnapped and sent to a black-market ring?"

"And who are you Cadet?" Zachary asked, a light frown appearing upon his features.

"My name is Sarah Gray sir," I answered him.

"And what is your relationship with Yeager?" Zackary spoke out to me.

"I met him at boot camp," was my answer, "Other than a few interactions, that was the length of our relationship."

"And yet from the report I have gained from the Trost operation," Zackary said, "You refused direct order from the Garrison regiment to stay at Yeager's side after your return from the city."

I noticed Eren looking at my direction. He was probably curious as to why I was there beside him back then. I turned my gaze away from him and toward the Premier that as at the head table.

"That's because without Eren, none of us would have made it out of Trost alive after it fell," I answered the man, "Eren allowed us to relieve the siege at Headquarters enough that we could gather our supplies and head over the Wall. He may be able to transform into a fifteen-meter monster, but before all of that, he was a comrade. That was our training sir, to not abandon a comrade no matter what."

There was a silence after my words as everyone was staring at me, but I kept my eyes upon the Premier. I didn't need anyone else to look at me like that after all. All I was doing was giving my honest to good opinion about the situation.

"Your honor," Erwin spoke out, "Can I make a suggestion?"

The man glanced at him.

"Eren's power are the greatest unknown in this equation," the Scout commander spoke out, "If he was to be placed in the hands of my Regiment, I suggest that he be placed under Captain Levi's authority and to be closely watched by him."

"He'll be supervised at all time?"

"Yes and even if we go on mission outside of the Walls with Eren," Erwin continued, "Captain Levi will be closely watching him at all time. You could look upon the mission result yourself. If he had successfully managed to control his Titan ability, Eren would have proven himself a valuable ally to humanity."

"And if he should lose control?" Zackery asked.

"I can definitely kill him if it comes to that, my record speak for itself in this situation" Levi answered, his voice calm like he was stating a fact, "The downside is that there is no middle ground in all of this."

The man stayed silent for a while thinking about it.

"Very well," he said, "Then I have made my choice. Eren Yeager will be placed in the Scout Regiment's care. However, the success of your mission would decide if he is to remain as a Scout."

There was a grumbling around the room at this decision however I can feel the relief in Eren's body as he was seating down on the ground with both of his hands still tied by the metal pole. Two soldiers, MPs approached toward him as well as Erwin and Levi as he was released from where he was standing before the Scouts simply took him away, thought Levi had his hand upon the young man back looking like he was pushing him rather than allowing him to walk.

With everyone leaving, I followed Armin and Mikasa thought the latter look at the direction Eren had gone to with the members of the Scouts Regiment. I placed a hand upon the young woman's shoulder drawing her attention before indicating her to follow us. We walked out of the courtroom while many people were still here talking to each other before we made our way out of the courtroom at all. As we stepped outside in the streets, a voice called my name out.

I turned toward it, finding a well dressed young man standing there. He had blond hair falling upon his shoulder and had both of his hands in his jacket pocket. Just by looking at him you could tell that this person had grown up in money however, something about him stirred something in my mind, almost like I should recognize him, yet I don't.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

The young man seems surprised at my question.

"I guess that it would be too long since we last saw each other," he said, "But I didn't think you would have forgotten your own cousin now do you?"

I feel my eyes widen lightly at the notion, staring at the young man in front of me. There was only one cousin I knew from my childhood and that was Charlotte's son…

"Caleb?" I repeated shocked.

The young man let out a small smirk.

"So, you do remember me," Caleb laughed.

I was completely frozen, shocked at the sight of the young man in front of me. I wasn't expecting to see him here of all places.

"I was wondering," he continued, "If you had a moment so that we could talk."

* * *

 **A face from the past reappar for Sarah...**

 **Next Time:** Recruitment.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	19. Recruitment

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far. Thanks for the awesome reviews last chapter.**

 **Now read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah holding upon a rose in her hand as birds flew pass her and toward the sky above.

Chapter Nineteen

Recruitment

I was staring at the young man in front of me surprised that he was even here. I didn't have the best relationship with my father's family and when I was younger, and I hardly had any interaction with considering that I had never gone over to his house since he lived outside of Mitras and one of the few times I had interacted with him was during his birthday party that long ago and yet again, looking at the young man in front of me, I could see the trace of that child upon his features as he stared back at me.

"Sarah, you're coming?"

It was Armin and he was standing a few feet away along with Mikasa who had also stopped. The duo was looking out toward me. They looked curious as to why I wasn't with them and standing so far away against him. I turned my gaze toward Caleb for a brief second before turning my attention back toward the duo.

"I will catch up with you later," I spoke out to them raising my voice a little so that I could be heard, "The two of you can go ahead."

Armin looked confused, but he nodded at me. Mikasa still looked curious but she did as I wanted as both her and Armin walked off leaving me with Caleb just like I wanted it to be. I didn't want them anywhere near my father's family. I turned my attention toward the young man across me with a light frown upon my face.

"You said that you wanted to talk to me," I told him, "So talk."

Caleb chuckled before pointing toward a carriage standing there.

"Why don't we talk inside privately," he said, "Don't worry, I will take you back to the military barracks soon enough. I just wanted to have a moment to talk with you after all, it's been five years since I last heard of you Sarah Reyne."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't call me that," I growled.

Caleb didn't seem surprised at the hostility in my tone, however, I walked side by side with him until we climbed into the carriage one after the other. I took a seat across him as the carriage set off down the street. Caleb had taken a seat in front of me, both of his hands upon his lap in front of him as he was staring toward me.

"You've changed from what I remember," he started, "You're not that same meek girl that was always hiding behind Aunt Rose's legs. You have grown stronger than the you from back then."

"That's what I have to become if I am to survive," I answered him simply, "I can't always rely on people to be there to help me when the times come."

"You've certainly survived," Caleb answered, "But…if you didn't die five years ago, why didn't you return home? I'm sure Uncle Leon would have been glad to see that his daughter is still alive after all this time."

I give him a glare.

"That place has never been my home," I answered, "I don't know how a home is supposed to feel to children, but it's never supposed to feel like I'm not wanted there. My mom was the only person that made living in that house bearable and without her there, I had no wish to return."

Caleb frowned.

"That why you changed your name?" he asked.

I stared at him.

"Yes."

There was a silence within the carriage as the only sound I could hear were the sound of the wheels rolling down on the street and the voice of the people talking around the city. I stared at Caleb for a few moments, taking him in for a few moment. I was curious that he was at the trial, so I decided to ask him about it.

"Why were you at the trial?" I asked him.

"My father received an invitation from a merchant friend," he answered, "He was supposed to go but his health has been giving him problems over the years and this day happened to be a bad one so he chose me to go in his stead, if only to satisfy my curiosity about what was written in the newspaper. I mean, having a Titan under military control is something that will cause a lot of turmoil and yet…it seems that you knew about it even before the trial."

He looked toward me.

"Want to share some light upon that?"

"I'm not sharing military secrets with a civilian," I answered him.

"I was at the trial Sarah," Caleb answered, "And I heard your speech about what happened in Trost during the Titan attack. I doubt there is much secrets that you must hide anymore. I just want to hear it from you as your honest opinion. Everyone is already aware of what happened in Trost and hearing from someone that was there and witnessed it first hand is always better."

"Why are you so curious about it?" I asked him.

Caleb laughed softly turning his attention toward the city that was passing by the window.

"Titans are the reason why we live inside these Walls," he said, "why humanity is like this. I have read enough to see how Titans traumatize people and eat them alive but despite all that time, there is still so little know about them. But now, for the first time in a hundred years something like this has happened a human can transform into a Titan. Don't tell me you wouldn't have been burning with curiosity about it all."

Caleb did have a point, somewhat. If I wasn't what I was, I would have been curious as well about the entire ordeal in the first place, but luckily for me, I wasn't like everyone else. I was just like Eren, having the ability to transform into a Titan as well.

"You're not afraid," I told him, "Most people would be. Even the soldiers who serve in the military were afraid of him and yet, you're not."

Caleb glanced at me.

"I wouldn't say that I am not afraid," he answered, "I just allow my curiosity to get the best of me sometimes. But I do know that there would be great changes to the future with someone like him revealed to the people since it would probably be on the newspaper tomorrow."

So I told him thought not everything that happened in Trost. I told him an abridged version of the event mostly skimming through what happened. Since he was a civilian in the first place, I didn't want to tell him everything that had happened, however, I simply told him enough to keep his curiosity sated. The last thing I needed was for someone like him to get involved in this thing. When I was done speaking, Caleb stayed silent for a moment, as if in deep thoughts. There was a frown upon his features as he was thinking with a hand beneath his chin.

"That sound interesting," he said, "But I guess that's all you can tell me without getting in trouble. Today turned out to be quite an eventful day after all. I was simply going to the trial to please my dad; however, I would have never imagined running into you Sarah."

"For someone who believed that I was dead, you don't seem all that surprised that I was alive," I inquired.

Caleb chuckled.

"No," he answered, "You met my mother and I two years ago now I think about it in Trost. Mom called out to you, but you simply refused to talk to her. I had been curious about you so far these past few years. I was planning to come and talk to you on the day after your graduation but well, you know what happened then."

The carriage came to a stop and I glanced out toward the window noticing that we have stopped in front of where the barracks were situated. I turned my gaze toward him and Caleb give me a light smile.

"While I know that we didn't have the best relationship as children," he told me, "I will be glad if we can at least remain friends."

I raised an eyebrow.

"What will you tell your mother?"

Caleb laughed, "I don't have to tell her anything. I'm not a child anymore and soon enough, with my father always out sickly, I am already getting the reins on his business ventures so far. I think I can keep some secrets to myself."

I stared at him for a few moments, thinking about how sincere he seems to be. While it wasn't wrong to have friends among the nobility however, because of my father I am always looking at people who came from the place I was born in with suspicions about their true motives, however, I will give Caleb the benefit of the doubt so far and since I will be joining the Scouts in a few days anyway, I doubt we'll have that much time to see each other around.

I give him a light nod before opening the door and stepping outside of the carriage and into the ground. Caleb then called me back.

"Oh, by the way, there is something else I wanted you to know," he said drawing my eyes back toward him, "I'm not sure if you'll care or not but, your father had remarried a year after the fall of Wall Maria. His wife had given him a son, Albert is the name."

I stared at him for a few moments.

 _He didn't waste any time, did he?_ I thought feeling nothing but anger at the man.

"I shouldn't care at all since I am never going back," I answered him, "I made my choice to be Sarah Gray and I am going to live by that choice. I cut ties with that fucker when he abandoned me five years ago."

I then just turned away from him walking off into the courtyard feeling my anger rising yet again at the man who was my father. I didn't turn around to see that Caleb had ridden away leaving the place behind. I couldn't help but feel angry at the news that he was already remarried to someone else so quickly after the Fall of Wall Maria…not that I ever bothered to even keep up with the news about him before. But hearing that he had remarried so quickly made me realize that all the feelings I ever had about my father is true.

He never really cared about me or my mother at all.

 _And if I ever see him again…I will kill him myself._

* * *

That night, in the girl's dorm Narissa had cornered me into telling her what had happened at the trial today. She had been curious about why I was called out as well with Armin and Mikasa and I decided to tell her everything that had happened. She was shocked about what had happened at the trial, but I could tell thing could have turned out to be a whole lot worse if the Military Police had gotten things to go their way.

"So Eren is part of the Scout then," she said.

"Yeah," I answered her, "I didn't think that things would have gone well if the MPs gotten their way."

Narissa let out a soft hum.

"Hey while you were gone, they revealed that the recruitment drive is to take place two days from now," she told me drawing my attention toward her.

"They finally decided on a date?"

She nodded.

"Yeah," Narissa answered.

"You're still aiming for the Garrison, right?"

Narissa nodded.

"Of course, I am," she said, "Just fighting against the Titans once was enough for one lifetime. I don't have the type of mental strength needed to face them like the Scouts are going to. I'm not going to try to talk you out of it. You made it pretty clear that you'll be joining them no matter what."

I turned my attention toward my bags as I was digging through it, finding the instrument that I was looking for. I placed the case upon the bed drawing Narissa's attention when I opened it revealing the flute that was inside.

"You're going to play?" she asked.

"Outside," I told her, "I don't want to bother anyone here before they give out the time for curfew."

"I'll come with you," Narissa said, "It's been a while since I heard you play."

I gave her a light smile before the two of us left the dorm. They were still people wondering about as the torches were burning for the night as everyone was moving on about thought most of the people were in the mess hall from how loud it was in there. I made my way toward the front steps of the dorm before taking a seat there.

I raised the flute toward my lips and softly started to play a song, letting the music take control over me. I had my eyes closed as I played, my fingers moving up and down the instrument when it was needed to play the right notes. I was playing that song for the fallen soldiers who had died during the battle of Trost, and yet I couldn't help but remember the friends that I know had fallen in battle…

I can remember Mina's teasing voice…Still see the flustered look that was always upon Hannah's features whenever we teased her about her relationship with Franz…Samuel's gentle features whenever he was talking with me…Marco's kindness…along with the countless soldiers that had given up their lives during that single day…

When I was done playing, I lowered the flute down and was surprised to feel that they were tears falling from my eyes. I raised my hand toward them for a few moments before rubbing them off. My throat felt heavy now that I was thinking about my fallen friends. I didn't cry during the pyre funeral for the fallen friends that we had but now thinking back on them, I couldn't stop the tears that were falling now so I didn't try to stop them.

I just lowered my head in my hands, letting the tears fall.

Someone took a seat beside me and threw an arm around my shoulder causing me lean into them as I continued to cry.

"Just let it out Sarah," Narissa said softly, "Just let it out."

And that exactly what I did.

* * *

Two days later, however the two Titans that were being experimented on by the Scouts Regiment were killed. The rumors were what I woke up to on that morning. And what was more shocking was that they have given the Cadets order to present their ODM gears for inspection. I was puzzled by the entire thing that was happening, but I did what was asked of me. I haven't used my gear since the battle of Trost so I took it to the room where most of the Cadets were gathered with their gears and was now standing in attention beside Mikasa and Narissa.

"An inspection so soon after those Titans were killed," Narissa said, "too good to be true."

I glanced at her.

"You think that there is something going on?"

"C'mon Sarah, think about it," Narissa said, "And I thought that you were pretty analytical about things like that."

I stayed silent letting the facts running through my head. The two Titans that were captured were taken by the Scouts Regiment and now they had been found dead this morning. And now suddenly, there was an inspection of the Cadet's gear. Something seems to click inside my mind then.

"They're searching for the person who killed the Titan among the Cadets," I said softly.

"Bingo," Narissa answered, "Thought I don't understand why they're searching among the Cadets. With all that work we've been doing cleaning up Trost…who'd have the energy."

I glanced at the dark-haired girl beside me, "What do you think Mikasa?"

She seems to think about it.

"Maybe they thought a Cadet would act this rashly?" she said.

I frowned lightly to myself thinking this through. The Two captured Titans were a valuable test subjects to learn something more about them or their origins. However, with most of the Cadets exhausted from the cleaning up operation, no one would have the energy, as Narissa had said…unless…

I feel surprise rise thought me at the new train of thoughts.

 _Unless someone didn't want us to learn anything about the Titans at all…like they were somehow afraid of what we could learn…but thinking about it, they should be only two people that could have done this…the two people that were responsible for Wall Maria's destruction…the two Shifters, Armored and Colossal….but that would mean…_

"Cadet," a voice spoke out snapping me from my thoughts.

The two inspectors were standing in front of me with a frown upon their faces as they stared at me.

"Your gear is next," the man said, "Name."

"Sarah Gray sir," I said saluting.

"When was the last time you used your gear?"

"During the Trost recovery operation sir," I answered in a calm voice.

The two exchanged a glance between them before speaking again.

"You're in the clear Cadet," the man said noting something in his clipboard, "Next."

"Narrisa Phel sir,"

The inspection continued like that throughout the entire day however it didn't seem that they had found anyone responsible for that. I was still having thought about it too. There was something going on and this inspection means that there was someone who can use ODM gear and that had killed the two Titans that were in captivity which mean that whoever it was, the suspect was among us…

"Are you okay Sarah, you seem pale earlier," Mikasa asked as we were placing our gears back in their place.

"I was just going over in my mind about the reason why someone would want to kill the two Titans we have in captivity," I told her, "Didn't really like where it was leading me."

"It was probably someone's idea of revenge against them," Mikasa told me.

I let out a small smile.

"It probably was," was my answer but even I didn't believe my own words.

The rest of the day passed relatively quickly but there was now a cloud hanging over the Cadets as it would be the day that we will finally chose the Regiment that we're going to join. I already knew that I was going to be part of the Scouts, so I wasn't really all that worried about it, however, the thoughts that I was having during the inspection was starting to mull over my mind. It was impossible to think about but, that would also mean whoever the enemy was…it would have been them responsible for the killing of the two Titans we have in custody and that they were adept at using an ODM gear for it was the only way they could have done what they had accomplished and gotten away with it…

"Cadets fall in," a Garrison soldier called out, "It's time to choose your Regiment."

I looked up at the man from where I was seating before standing up and making my way forward. It was time to chose where I am going to go. It was the only way that I can be sure of where my mind was going right now. We all were placed in line as we were waiting for the Commanders of each Regiment to chose and the first up was the head of the Scout Regiment, Erwin Smith. The man came to stand right in front of us with both of his hand behind his back.

"Good evening," he spoke looking at us, "I am Erwin Smith, commander of the Survey Corps also known as the Scout Regiment. Let's cut to the chase the Scouts need you, we need every warm bodies we can get. After the recent Titan attack you now know first hand the horror they are capable of as well as your own limitation. However, this battle's aftermath give humanity a new chance of victory. I'm referring to Eren Yeager."

He stared down at us.

"After selflessly risking life and limb, he had proven himself dedicated to our cause," Erwin continued, "Hope lives in him. Eren didn't just help to deter the Titan invasion. He's offered us a means to discover their origins."

I can feel my eyes widen at the revelation. I knew about it from the time we were under canon fire but why would Erwin go public with this?

"Intel suggest that the cellar in Yeager's home in Shingashina hold a vital secret regarding our enemy," Erwin continued calmly like he hadn't just revealed a huge bombshell to the Cadets in front of him, "We will head to Shingashina to find this secret and use it to break free from the Titan's century tyrannical hold over us once and for all."

They were a few conversations going on around me as I stared straight at Erwin's calm and impassive features. They had to be more to this. Erwin must be aware of what happened to the test subjects and suspect that a soldier might be responsible but, with Eren's ability revealed to them, they must already have their own theories about what was going on.

 _Could they have figured out something already…_

"Before we could reach the cellar in Shingashina, another problem must be addressed," Erwin started again quieting the conversation and drawing attention back toward him, "We must first retake Wall Maria. Of course, this is much easier said than done."

Two Scouts opened up a large map of the Walls showing where Trost District was and there was a red X placed upon it, marking it as unusable.

"Now that the Gate of Trost is rendered unusable, we'll be forced to stage future operation from the Coloneth District further east. Thus, the battalion route we've been clearing out for the past four years is completely useless to us. In these four years we've experience lost exceeding 60 percent. Sixty percent in four years…that's a horrifying figure."

Erwin looked at us.

"One month from now," he announced, "We will conduct a recon mission outside of the Walls. Recruits among you will be expected to take part in. I estimated a third of them will die. In four years, most will be dead. However, those who survive will be among the most capable soldiers alive. Now, having heard this dismal state of affairs, those who wish to place their lives on the lines and join us, remains here. But ask yourself, can you give your heart… _can you give everything for humanity?"_

I stared up at the man for a moment at his tone.

 _To reveal everything about Eren like this…,_ I thought, _He is playing his hand…then, there is no doubt in my mind. The person who killed the experiments are the Armored and the Colossal Titan and more than that…they are among the Cadets._

I can feel my hand tightening into fist.

 _That would explain why the Armored Titan didn't appear during the Trost invasion…they saw something that caused them to change tactic…they saw Eren's transformation…but then, that mean if they saw Eren's transformation…could it means that they were on that roof with me…_

"Those wishing to join other regiments are dismissed," Erwin spoke out yet again.

All around me, I could hear footsteps of people walking away from around me as I stayed still but then someone gently took my hand within their own. I turned toward it finding Narissa there. The girl gave me a light smile.

 _T…This will be the last time in a while we'll be seeing each other,_ I thought.

I squeezed her hand back.

Narissa gave me a light smile before letting go and walking off. I turned my head toward her as her back walked away from me before she was lost in the sea of Cadets that were leaving. I then turned my attention forward once more.

 _Maybe it was best you didn't choose the Scouts Narissa,_ I thought, _something tells me that things are going to get a whole lot more complicated than anyone expect…but I was grateful for your friendship these past three years so…thank you for everything._

When everyone was gone, only a few Cadets were still standing facing where Erwin was standing upon the platform. He was looking down toward us with an impassive look upon his face.

"If you were ordered to die, will you do it?" he asked.

"We don't want to die sir," a voice answered but I didn't check who.

A light smile appeared upon his lips.

"Of course, let us hope you don't then," he said, "Who you stayed, you are now one of us. Allow me to welcome you to the Scout Regiment. This is a genuine salute soldiers, together we give our heart."

" _SIR_ ," we all said together as we saluted him.

At that moment, I chanced a glance around the people that were closest to me. I saw Jean standing a few feet away from where I was. I was surprised he was here considering how much of a pro MPs he was. I saw Armin and Mikasa, no surprise there, and there was Sasha and Connie along with Berthold and Reiner along with Krista and Ymir as well. Reiner was a good soldier, and I think he'll do well among the Scouts if his skills are to be anything to go by. I couldn't help the small smile that grew upon my lips as seeing so many of the people I know there.

Thought that smile didn't stay long as the thought of what could be coming for us in the future.

* * *

 **Now, Sarah is finally part of the Scouts...Hope you have enjoyed that bit.**

 **To the guest signed as Aha:** Sarah's Titan is not connected to Ymir at all so the thirteen years rule don't really apply but there is a danger to it as well that's not about the thirteen years but we'll get to that later in the story as more of the past will unveal about Sarah's mother side of the family and their connection to the mysterious "Ashler". However you already saw glimpse of it in Maria in the flashback how she get sickly and how white her hair is despite she is not even fourty year old.

 **To Kai :** Armin doens't really have any proof to get suspicious...yet.

 **To Serket-Lily:** When he had more evidence not that long considering how quickly he figured who the Female Titan was.

 **That's all questions i could answer now. still ask them in your reviews.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	20. The Scout Regiment

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far and thanks for the awesome reviews.**

 **Anyway, read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah's standing facing forward as the Wings of Freedom cloak dance to the wind behind her.

Chapter Twenty

The Scout Regiment

The next morning, the few of us that had joined the Scouts made our way out of Trost and toward where the Scout Headquarters was situated. It was an old building that looked like it was only recently use at all. The man that oversaw us for today had a bandana wrapped around his head as he was simply giving us the tour of the place so that we could get a feel of how the place was and it wasn't long before we were given a tour of the area.

However, surprisingly the first thing we did after we got the idea for the place, we were all taken into a classroom. Commander Erwin had given away that they would be an Expedition taking place one month from now, so this wasn't really something that they were going to waste any time getting underway. The Scout who was in front of us had drawn out what look like to be a diagram upon the board in front of us as we were all observing him work for a few minutes.

"Alright rookies," he spoke out looking toward the room in front of him, "This is Erwin long range formation and it is all that you'll have to worry about for now. As you can see, out there in Titan territory, there will be nothing but flat lands. I'm sure that you are already aware that using your gear on level ground is unadvisable meaning fighting Titan out there will not be ideal at all."

The man turned his attention toward the table again.

"First thing first," he said, "You'll be positioned at equal interval within view of one another by signal on all side. The general idea is to expand our spotting and range as far as possible."

I pulled out my small notebook, the same one I used for my ODM gear training and started writing down upon it as well quickly drawing a rough sketch of the formation's shape as well as the few information that our leader, Section Commander Ness was saying to us.

"You can bet the lucky bastard riding in the front row spotting squad will be seeing a lot of Titans," Ness continued indicating the top side of the formation, "the seconds these come into view lock and load. Alert your nearest squad by firing a red smoke signal. Then, they will do the same and so forth."

Ness turned toward us.

"When the Commander feel he has a good read on the situation he will be firing a green smoke signal," he continued, "At the sight of one, the formation will reroute accordingly. The fewer Titans we encounter while out there, the better. The name of the game now is evasion…of course, this is a not a full proof strategy. The terrain is wide, filled with obstacle…plenty of places for the enemy to lie in wait and ambush us."

Ness placed the rod he was using upon his shoulder.

"Of course, this is all based on encounters with normal Titans," he said, "meaning that we could avoid them without fighting at all. But, that also mean that we can encounter an Abnormals out there and if you do, send out a black smoke signal. At the sight of one, we will have no choice to engage…knowing their behaviors, those Titans could endanger the entire formation if one burrows too deep inward."

He turned his attention toward the board again placing it upon a row inside the room.

"You rookies will be here," he said, "Between the wagon defense squad and the wagon support squad. You will run spare horses as well as relay signals. Out there, that is going to be your main objective as we journey through Titan territory."

The hour passed like this as they were giving us all the information that we needed for the expedition and I had a feeling that they were going to be going to that class for a whole lot for the main regiment to be done with. The entire first day had passed quite normally as we were all given an idea on how things worked around the Scouts HQ.

"They didn't reveal Eren's location to us."

I blinked glancing toward Mikasa who had spoken. The girl had a light frown upon her features as she was probably thinking as to why that had happened. I had noticed it as well at the end of our first lesson for today and it makes me wonder why they were keeping his position hidden from us. It's not like there was going to be much we could do even if we do know his position.

"Maybe they didn't have time to go over it," I told her, "The Expedition is still a month away, they won't simply let us go out there without us knowing where he is."

Armin stayed quiet as he was thinking about something by himself. I glanced at the blonde boy slowing down so that he could catch up to me.

"What do you think Armin?"

He suddenly blinked like he was startled out of his thoughts. The young man looked up toward me, confusedly.

"You asked me something?"

"You weren't following our conversation, were you?" I sighed.

Armin let out a sheepish smile, "I'm sorry, I was simply thinking some things through."

"Is that so?" I said giving Mikasa a sideway glance, "Want to clue us in?"

Armin looked at the two of us for a few more seconds before nodding lightly.

"It's just since the Commander made the announcement during our recruitment drive," the blonde said, "it had been in the back of my mind. I mean, why would he reveal something about Eren's basement at all. I know the Scouts needed a lot of new recruits but going public with it. I just think it was an odd move."

I thought about it. It had been a strange decision to make this public in the first place, thought I couldn't help but feel like there was more at play almost like someone was playing an invisible game of chess right in front of us and the Commander was one of the player…however that also beg the question…

Who is he playing against?

"You think there is more to it?" I asked him curious about what he had to say.

Armin stayed silent for a moment thinking for a moment.

"I don't want to jump to conclusion without knowing anything," he said, looking at the two of us, "But I have a feeling that there is someone that the Commander is after."

Mikasa didn't seem to be convinced.

"He could have simply wanted more recruits," she said.

The blonde let out a sigh.

"Maybe…," he murmured but I could tell that he wasn't convinced at what the dark-haired girl just said.

Commander Erwin possibly could have arrived at the same conclusion I did. Like the Armored and Colossal Titan were like Eren. With the information that we have available about the Titans so far and with Eren's existence and ability to transform into a Titan, it opened a whole of possibility that they never had thought before…

"Mikasa, Armin, Sarah," a familiar voice called out to us.

The three of us turned around at it, and there he was. Eren Yeager was running toward us with a grin upon his features. He was wearing a traditional green cloak upon his body and was in uniform. It had been a while since I have seen him and I couldn't help the small grin that grew upon my lips at the sight of him.

"Eren," Mikasa whispered and the sheer relief that was in her voice was palpable.

"Man, am I glad to see you guys," Eren said looking out to all of us.

"You're a sight for sore eyes Yeager," I told him with a small chuckle and patting his shoulder lightly.

The young man laughed as well.

"Eren, are you okay?" Mikasa asked, taking his hand in her own, "They…they haven't mistreated you have they?"

The young man blinked in confusion at her question.

"Er…no, not really," he said, "The Scouts have been pretty accommodating."

I blinked.

"Isn't Captain Levi supposed to be looking after you?"

"Oluo is doing it right now," he said pointing toward a man not too far from where we are.

The man was drinking from a cup and he was looking at our general direction thought he looked to be bored out of his mind with the job he was doing. Not what would expect from someone who is supposed to be watching over a monster.

"Hey Eren," Reiner called out as he was approaching with the rest of the guys.

"Long time no see," Sasha grinned.

The rest of the gang had joined up. Sasha, Connie, along with Krista were all there with Berthold and Reiner following them. Eren seems surprised to see all of them and there was a slight relief as well seeing them there.

"You guys are all here," He said, "Does that mean…all of you joined the Scouts?"

"Of course," Connie told him, "Why else would we be here?"

Eren let out a small chuckle.

"Of course," he said, "So then, I guess Jean, Annie and Marco all join the Military Police then?"

At Marco's name I feel myself tense lightly.

 _That's right…Eren didn't know about Marco's death._

It wasn't his fault considering that he was under lock and key when we were the one cleaning up Trost from the Titan invasion. At Marco's name I noticed Krista saddening as well as the pain in Sasha and Connie's eyes.

"Eren…about Marco," I started drawing his eyes toward me.

" _Marco's dead,"_ a voice spoke out.

Jean had arrived with the rest of the recruits. Eren turned his attention toward him, his eyes wide with surprise at seeing him here of all place.

"No wait…you're here," he whispered before his eyes seems to darken again, "Wait…what do you mean Marco's dead? C'mon, Marco's not dead…you're just joking around right…?"

Jean's face remained unchanged as he was looking back at him.

"I wish I could tell you that he died nobly or heroically," Jean told him, "Truth is I'm not sure how he went out. He died alone and there was no one else to see it happen."

Eren was frozen where he stood as he was looking out toward the man in front of him. He stared downward in shock at what he was just told. A lot of us had died during the battle of Trost and Marco had been alive before the Trost recovery operation if Sasha was to be believed…he mostly died when Eren was carrying the boulder to the destroyed Gate…

"M…Marco's dead?" he whispered.

"Hey rookies form up," Ness called out, "Your uniforms are here."

There was another Scout standing there with a bundle of clothe in his arms. We all marched forward and one after the other we took a cloak from the man's arm and when I took mine, I found myself staring at the blue and white wing emblem that was upon the green. I ran a finger through it for a few moments feeling the light stubble of the emblem before throwing the cloak on as the others was doing.

It was a gentle warmth the cloak brought as it was wrapped upon my shoulder and when I was done attaching it on, I noticed the others around me doing the same getting their cloak on. The green cloak around me rippled from the breeze that was blowing through the area. I placed a hand upon the button that clasped the cloak on, feeling oddly like smiling to myself.

 _It's warm,_ I thought.

* * *

Later, I had joined the rest of the guys inside a large supply room where Jean had dragged Eren with him wanting to have a talk. It was nice that they were letting us have this conversation with him. Eren was looking on to all of us where he stood with Armin and Mikasa while I had simply leaned against one of the pillar nearby looking out toward him.

"So…you guys are all…,"

"Yes," Mikasa said, "We'll be part of the upcoming expedition as well."

"Hey Eren," Jean called out, "I heard that in your Titan form you intentionally tried to crush Mikasa. Want to tell me what was that all about?"

"You're wrong," Mikasa instantly argued back, "He thought he was just swatting a fly."

 _Really Mikasa, that was the best you could come up with?_ I thought raising an eyebrow.

"I wasn't asking you," Jean told her, "Oh by the way, the scar on your cheek. Remind me on how you got it again?"

Eren looked down for a few moments.

"Apparently it's all true," he said, "When I was a Titan I tried to kill Mikasa…"

"Apparently?" Jean repeated, "You mean to tell me you don't even remember if you did or not. Basically, you can transform into a fifteen-meter monster at will but when you do, you don't actually have full control over it?"

"Not yet," Eren answered, "But that's right."

I removed myself from the pillar I was leaning on, making my way straight toward where the two boys where standing before crossing my arms. I wanted to understand where Jean was getting at. The boy let out a sigh, before turning toward the group that was behind him.

"Heard that everybody, what a fine situation this is," he called out to the rest, "Our lives and the faith of all mankind rest upon his shoulders. I'm guessing we're all going to end up like Marco…dead before Eren realizes what's going on."

" _Watch it Jean,"_ I spoke out, drawing his attention toward me, "What are you trying to prove exactly?"

Jean looked at me for a moment.

"Because I'm not willing to throw my life away without a reason," he said simply, "Like the rest of us, we are not dying without having a reason first, otherwise we might hesitate when the time came. I want the truth, for what we've laying down our lives for. What we want is a guarantee from Eren. Show us what's your worth, prove it to us…I want you to make us believe that you're worth dying for."

Jean turned his attention toward the young man before taking him by the shoulders.

"Think you can do that?" he asked, "Because if you can, we're with you… _all the way."_

There was a look of amazement upon Eren's features as he was staring at the taller boy in front of him. I was also surprised at Jean's speech. This wasn't what anyone expected from Jean but then again, I didn't expect him to join the Scouts either, so I guess a whole lot of change had happened to the people here. The battle of Trost had left behind all type of scars upon many people that had participated in it. I saw how broken Narissa had become because of it and it seems somehow, managed to change Jean a lot from how I remembered him back during boot camp.

It was like he was a different person altogether.

* * *

The days continued like this. As the recruits, most of our focus was completely focused upon memorizing the long-range Scouting formation since we were the greenest out of everyone in the Scouts. Memorizing things was never a problem for me in the past so safe to say I wasn't having as much problem as some of the others like Connie and Sasha who seems to be completely exhausted whenever we were done with the class.

Our other duties were mostly keeping the Headquarters clean and sometimes we even took care of the horses that the Scouts had. During our second week, we had to choose our own horses for the upcoming expedition and I what really drew my attention was a chestnut brown horse with long dark hair and tail. It had some white spots around it's belly as well as it's neck but other than that, it was a beautiful young horse and I couldn't help but grow attached.

I had decided to name her Souris and a few times had taken her out in the large opening area around the Scouts headquarters to get a feel of her and she was quite fast as well, coursing through the area like it was nothing at all. While they did learn to ride horses during the Cadet training, I found myself smirking lightly as I continued to ride through the area by myself for hours on end only returning when the time was over.

I was making my way toward the stable were the horses were being kept, finding none other than Jean inside. He seems to be feeding the horses rather than anything else and he turned his attention toward the entrance when he noticed me entering.

"You were out riding?" he asked.

"Yep," I said driving my horse toward his stall, "Souris and I have been bonding these past few days."

"What kind of name is Souris anyway?" he asked with a light frown.

I gave him a glance.

"Like you're one to talk," I told him, "You name your horse Bushswall or something like that?"

"It's Buchwall," Jean argued, "Remove the S."

"I rest my case."

The young man let out a groan of annoyance at me as I placed Souris back in his place. I give his head a soft gentle pat, and he licked my fingers as he let out a deep breath from his large nose. I couldn't help the small giggle that escaped me as I stared into it's large eyes.

I turned my attention toward Jean.

"Say Jean, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" he asked, without turning around, however his question showed me that he was listening.

"Why did you join the Scouts?" I asked him.

The young man seems surprised at the question from how he reacted, and he turned his head toward me. Letting out a small sigh, he placed the container he was holding on the ground.

"Mostly because of Marco," he said.

I blinked in confusion.

"Marco died, and no one knows how or why," he continued, "He may have been a dreamer but…he was my friend. I thought that the two of us would have joined the MPs together. But now he is dead, it put things into perspective for me. It made me fully understand what Eren was saying about the sacrifices that have been done to get humanity this far."

He let out a small sigh.

"I don't know…maybe it was temporary insanity?" he continued.

I approached toward him and placed my fist straight toward where his heart was. Jean's attention fixed toward me with a surprised look upon his features. I give him a light smile.

"Then, let it temporary insanity that we are here fighting to good fight," I answered him.

Jean stared at me for a moment before shaking his head.

"Temporary insanity?" he repeated, chuckling, "Right."

The two of us left the stable together and head to the mess hall.

"This upcoming expedition has me on pin and needle," Jean said drawing my eyes toward him, "I can't help but think about how many of us are going to make it back from it."

"It's useless to worry about that now," I told him, "Even so, it's not like we're going to be in the vanguard of the formation anyway. All we have to worry about is doing our job and maybe things will work themselves out."

"That's a pretty optimistic view Sarah,"

It was Reiner and the young man was with Berthold again. The two of them were coming toward the mess hall as well thought the blond guy looked like he a had a grin upon his face as he was looking toward the two of us.

"Well, excuse me for hoping for the best in this situation," I told him.

Reiner grinned.

"Hey I don't mind it," he said, "Good for a soldier to keep their body calm like this, it would make us better prepared for what's coming."

"Yeah," I murmured, getting inside with the rest of the guys.

* * *

The month passed relatively quickly with the amount of works we've being getting so far and since we were starting to have day offs I wanted to go and pay a visit to her before the time finished and that's exactly what I did one day.

When we didn't have any training to be doing nor anything at all, I took Souris with me and rode out of headquarters. It was liberating riding my horse throughout the empty countryside within the territory of Wall Rose. I had my ODM gears on as well as my soldier outfit with the green cloak of the wings of freedom upon it showing to everyone that I was a Scout.

It was when the sun was in the sky was when I reached the familiar road that lead to the house I spent some time with Kyle and Maria. I slowed Souris down to a trot as I went up toward the road and when I passed through the trees, the familiar house appeared in front of me thought it was completely covered in weeds since it had been five years since anyone had been there. I stopped the horse and jumped down upon the ground.

Pulling Souris after me, I tied the reins around a nearby tree. Then, I made my way toward the house before passing it completely, making my way toward the backyard. It was just as a remembered it to be. I noticed the old axe I used to gather firewood with as well as an old bucket lying on it's side. The grass around it were tall and my attention was finally drawn toward what I was looking for.

The two marked graves that were in the backyard.

I approached toward them before dropping down to my knees in front of the one of the left. The words MARIA was engraved upon the wood in front of me and I looked toward it.

"I made it," I told her softly, "I am one of the Scouts now. A lot has happened since you died…the Colossal attacked Trost but we managed to push it back…and there was another like you Maria. I don't know if you knew yourself, but he was _one of us."_

I let out a small sigh.

"I now know that there is a lot of things that you didn't tell me…," I said looking at the name, "Maybe you didn't know yourself…or maybe you did know or chose not to tell me I don't know…but I will find out everything that was hidden from me and about this mysterious Ashler…"

I trailed off.

"In a week, I will be heading outside of the Walls," I said, "I know it would be the territory of Wall Maria and maybe when we reclaim it…I will finally be able to see what's out there…what Uncle Markus died for…what so many died for."

I stood back up upon my feet. I had strange uneasy feeling in my chest, which was growing ever since I learned we've been going outside of the Walls for the Expedition and it was growing the more the day approached forward.

Something was going on with Commander Erwin and I have a feeling that it will reveal itself when we go outside the Walls in a week. I let out a small sigh before chancing a glance toward the other marked grave that was beside Maria's. It looked more weathered down than the one that was there, and I could still see the letters that I myself wrote down upon it five years ago…

KYL….

The rest was illegible.

I turned away from the grave, feeling new resolves rising in my heart.

If things go south while we are out there, I will use my Titan form no matter the cost and I just hope things don't get bad from it.

* * *

 **New resolve grow within Sarah...**

 **Next Time:** Burden

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	21. Burden

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Maria seating by herself as her hair danced in the wind...

Chapter Twenty-One

Burden

 **Five years ago…**

Maria always told me that we'll both known when it was time for me to become the next holder of the power. It was something she told me just the week before and yet when it had happened, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Ever since I woke up that morning, there was an odd feeling in my gut almost like something was curling inside me but I simply ignored it completely wanting to get on my day with the two that had taken me in.

However, when I entered inside the living room finding Maria seating there and she looked straight into my eyes and it was like an understanding had taken place between us almost like we both knew what the other was thinking. It was a weird experience and it made my head hurt a little bit and the expression on Maria's face shifted from surprise to understanding and then a grim determination.

Giving me a brief nod, the young woman turned her attention toward her husband.

"Kyle can you prepare the carriage," she asked.

The man who was working on something in the kitchen turned his attention toward her, confusion appearing upon his features before something seems to click within his head. I noticed the fugitive glance he sent my way before nodding as well.

"Of course," he said.

Just like that, he left to do the work that had been assigned to him leaving both Maria and I in the room alone by ourselves. The woman turned her gaze toward me, her amber eyes seemingly seeing right through me as she stood up from where she was and came to stand in front of me before kneeling to my level.

She placed a hand upon my shoulder.

"You'll be fine," she told me like she could see the worries that were within me, "It was the same thing that had happened to me when I was younger…I may have been a little older than you were right now, but the feeling remained the same. All you have to do is trust me alright."

I nodded, despite the nervous feeling that was coming from within me.

"I…yes, of course," I told her.

The look upon Maria's face regained that grim determination from before.

"Is your resolve still as strong?" she asked.

I stared at her for a few moments before nodding.

"Yes," I said simply.

"Good," Maria answered.

The woman then stood up and took hold of my hand within her own. It was cold and clammy but the grip upon it was stronger than steel. We both made our way out of the room and into the small courtyard where Kyle was preparing the carriage. The man looked at the two of us.

"It's ready," he said, "Are you sure it's time to…"

"It's time Kyle," Maria said simply, "I can feel it."

The man nodded before helping the two of us climb on the cart and then he was driving us out unto the road. The sky was a dark gray this morning, promising a rainfall to come later in that day and there was a chill in the air as the wind blew. It was very familiar as I seated there beside Maria, her hand within my own and the deathly silence that fell upon us as the cart drove through the road and in no time at all it seems, we have reached the familiar area of where the shed where the Titan serum was hidden.

"Stay here Kyle," Maria said after the two of us had come down unto the ground.

The man seems surprised.

"What? Why?" he asked.

Maria glanced at him.

"What we are about to do is dangerous," she said, "The less people that are involved the better it can be. If you are there…"

Kyle stared at her, "Why are you talking like you're about to die."

Maria stayed silent for a moment before chuckling softly. She raised a hand and softly patted upon his cheek.

"Get that thought out of your head," she said, "I told you a long time ago, I will always come back."

"I'm just worried," Kyle told her, "You always refused me whenever you are going to do this. I'm just worried about you. I don't want to lose you you know. After Rose's death…"

Maria shook her head.

"Rose is not dead," she said.

Kyle looked at her in confusion but then Maria stared down toward me where I stood holding her hand. The two stared down toward me and I felt confused at their stares.

"Part of her is still here in Sarah," she said softly.

"Maria…," Kyle started.

"Just stay here," she said, "And I'll come back like always."

Kyle nodded.

"Fine, I'll stay," he said, "You best make sure you do return."

Maria smiled lightly at him before the two of us left him standing by the carriage. We walked in silence through the trees as Maria's attention remained fixed forward completely. There was a change in her that I could sense but I couldn't really understand it at all. I looked up toward the woman at my side, but she was looking straight ahead, probably didn't even realize that I was looking at her.

The two of us reached the shed and just like last time, she pulled out the slab of stone revealing the black bag as well as the strange serum that she had injected inside my spine all that time ago. I stared at the syringe she was working with and pulling out another vial from the bag. This one was unmarked, and it had a strange orange tint within it. The woman filled the syringe muttering slightly to herself.

"going to be fourteen meters…with some armors…," she said softly.

She then looked at me.

"Are you ready Sarah?" she asked.

"Are you going to stab me in the nape again?" I asked her.

A strange smile appeared upon her lips.

"Not really," she said, "Hold out your arm."

I blinked in confusion at the request but did what she asked, and she inserted the needle into my arm causing me to wince in pain and in that moment our eyes met and for the first time I was seeing tears running down her cheeks. There was this sadness along with guilt in her expression.

"I'm sorry Sarah," she said.

I blinked at the words before she injected the content of the liquid within my body. At once, a strange burning feeling overcame my body as I started to feel as if my inside had turned to lava burning me from within. Steam had started to rise around my body as I fell upon my knees. Panic was rushing through my form at what was happening, and I looked toward Maria, confusion still running through me, but she was standing right there, looking down at me tears rushing down her cheeks as she was looking down at me…

"Maria…," I whispered raising a hand toward her.

The pain became blinding as light filled my vision entirely….

When I next come to, I was lying upon the ground with steam rising everywhere. I was pulling myself up to my feet, my senses completely blurred out as I was slowly taking in everything around me. I was still in the forest and the steam was completely everywhere making me wonder exactly what was making it. I raised a hand toward my head which was hammering with pain like someone had taken a hammer and was hammering away without a care inside my skull.

I blinked glancing upward searching for Maria as my sight fell upon a large skeletal hand wrapped around a blood-soaked ground. The steam was slowly disappearing from where I was, and I can feel numb at the clothing that was soaked in blood was none other than Maria's but…more like half of her body…like it was savagely ripped apart… the blood completely soaking everything…

My gaze turned toward the large form that was beside me revealing the remains of a large skeletal head which was grinning at my direction, one of it's eyes was still there…molten amber…

 _The same shade as my own…_

I stayed there frozen as horror and terror was pouring through my very form from where I was lying down and tears had started to roll down my cheeks as I realized that…

 _I kill…I…at…._

I raised both my hand toward my head and screamed….

* * *

 **Present Day**

I was snapped awake breathing heavily. My clothes stuck to my body as I suddenly seated up form where I was lying down on, completely at lost as to where I was. I can feel my hand automatically going to my lips before I stopped myself from biting down upon it. Closing my hand into a fist I placed it upon my lips calming myself down from the nightmare I was having.

No…not a nightmare…a memory.

A memory of the day when I received the power that I had now hidden beneath my skin, and how I finally realized the price paid to gain that power…

"Are you okay Sarah?"

The voice snapped me out my thoughts and it was only Krista. The blonde girl was already wearing her uniform. She had a concerned expression upon her features as she was observing me. I had thought that I was alone but it seems that I wasn't as alone I had first believed.

"Krista…you're still here?"

The blonde girl nodded.

"Yes," she said, "I heard you call out and I thought you were awake, but you suddenly sat up like you where in shock or something."

I stared at the girl, "I called out a name?"

"Yes," she said, "Maria you said I think…?"

"Is that so?" I murmured pulling myself out of bed, "I'm sorry if I frightened you, just old nightmares."

"I wasn't frightened," Krista smiled, "Just concerned."

Now that I was awake, I got out of bed and went to freshen up for the day and it wasn't long before I was now wearing my own uniform. Unlike the cadet jacket who had the crossed swords insignia, the jacket I wore now was the two wings of the Scouts Regiment upon it's back and it breast pocket. I pulled the jacket on and followed after Krista out in the corridor so that we could make our way toward the mess hall so we could go and eat breakfast to start the day.

"Hey Sarah, can I ask you something?"

I gave the shorter girl a glance.

"Sure, what is it?"

"Who is Maria?" Krista asked.

I let out a soft hum.

"She was my aunt," I answered her, "She died five years ago."

Krista instantly looked apologetic.

"Oh…I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't mean to bring up any unpleasant memories."

I let out a small chuckle before placing a hand upon her head. I gave her a soft smile and I can see her surprise as she was staring at me, almost like she expected me to be angry somehow about bringing her up.

"I made my peace with her long-ago Krista," I told her, "I…I'm sad that she is not around any longer, but I've got my own life to live and I'm sure she'd be proud of what I made from it."

Krista seems to be thinking for a moment before nodding.

"Okay," she said thought her smile seems slightly more genuine for some reason.

The two of us reached the mess hall and were instantly accosted by Ymir who was all over the shorter girl in seconds. Ymir and I have an odd relationship like we like to pretend the other doesn't exist. I don't know how it came to be exactly, but it seems that ever since I made friend with Krista somehow, the older girl was jealous… I don't really get it but the moment she had appeared, I discretely made my way away from them leaving Krista to deal with her.

Hey, she was doing it during the past three years of bootcamp, so she can probably deal with her much better than all of us here. Taking a quiet spot by myself I decided to simply have a small breakfast since I wasn't feeling all that much hungry to begin with. Tomorrow would be the big day of the Expedition and when we were going to go outside of the Walls and into Titan country.

We didn't have training for today since most of our superiors were resting for the big day. Most of our last day of training was done and we were now just waiting for the day to arrive so that we could accomplish the mission of retaking Wall Maria…thought, it makes me wonder how many of us are going to die before that happens?

I glanced up toward the room taking notice of Connie and Sasha and they were playing with their foods as always. Reiner and Berthold were with Jean and talking over a chessboard. Armin and Mikasa were nowhere to be found, probably going to spend some time with Eren before the mission starts and I couldn't help the small sigh escaping from my lips at that. Finishing my breakfast, I made my way out of the building.

It was a quiet day outside of the building with few Scouts hanging around in their gears. I didn't have my gears on since I didn't really need it today. Gaining an idea, I made my way back toward my room and decided to go and get my flute so that I could play some more. It probably wasn't going to do much but I wanted to at least play some music to pass the time and maybe it will sooth the worries that I had over the Expedition.

Seating at a corner, I decided to start playing softly letting the music be the one that guided my fingers. I didn't play as often as I wanted, but the song was more hopeful than the ones that I usually played and in no time at all, I was lost within the music completely letting my finger and my breath as well as my memory do the work for me as I continued to play the gentle tune with my flute. When I was done, I opened my eyes lowering the flute for a few moments thinking to myself before starting to play yet again this time a more somber yet, gentle song.

It was called _Heartbeat_ and I had always enjoyed it since it seems like to me, like a song of something sad happening and yet, there was hope at the end of the tunnel. So I played that song to my heart's content a soft smile growing upon my lips as the memories of my friends flashed within my mind and when I was done I was started by the sudden applause I had gotten.

There was most of the 104th class standing there with large grin on their face thought Reiner looked like he was grinning from ear to ear as he was staring at me.

"Nice one Sarah," he laughed clapping lightly.

"W…What are you guys doing here?" I asked surprised.

"Well Bert heard the song when we stepped out," he said indicating his taller friend beside him, "And then Sasha recognize you playing so we decided to check it out."

"It was amazing," Krista said taking a seat beside me.

"Oy…Krista," Ymir pouted looking at the shorter girl.

"I heard around bootcamp that you played, I had no idea you were this good," Connie said.

"I thought I told you she was good," Sasha said frowning.

"You told me she was good, but not that she was _that_ good," Connie argued.

I placed the flute upon my laps as my friends talked around me and I couldn't help the small smile that grew upon my lips looking at them all. I know that the Expedition is tomorrow, and I hoped with all my heart that we all made it back alive. I spent the rest of the afternoon with the gang and it wasn't until night had fallen that I came across Mikasa and Armin. The duo had been missing the entire day thought I didn't need to know where they have gone other than spending time with the third member of their trio.

Eren.

"How was Eren?"

Mikasa looked up at me in surprise at the question but as she met my eyes, she seems to calm down considerably.

"He seems…okay," she said, "Still get angry with me for worrying about him too much but other than that…"

She trailed off with a light shrug.

I looked up toward the sky where I was seating seeing the numerous stars that were visible now. It was oddly peaceful night given what we were going to experience tomorrow outside the Walls.

"You're not going to sleep yet?" Mikasa asked coming to stand beside my seated form.

"In a bit," I answered her.

The dark-haired girl took a seat beside me and the two of us continued to look up toward the stars together.

"Have you ever seen a sky this beautiful?" I asked her after a while my eyes still taking in the numerous little light that made the stars in the black above, "they are so many stars…made one feel so small compared to the rest of the world out there beyond the Walls."

A sideway glance showed me that Mikasa was also looking up toward the stars as well, her obsidian eyes reflecting the many stars that she was looking at, a soft gentle look upon her features. I returned my gaze toward the stars as well, feeling oddly relaxed now with her beside me.

"Then, you will look after yourself out there," Mikasa said drawing my eyes toward her, "So that we can look at the stars together again when we come back."

I swear my heart just skipped a beat at that. I stared at Mikasa my eyes wide with surprise.

"A lot of people I care about are no longer around," she said taking her scarf and hiding her nose within it, "Don't you go dying out there okay Sarah."

I couldn't help the small grin that grew upon my lips before I suddenly leaned against the other girl placing my head upon her shoulder. I feel her tense slightly at the sudden weight, but she didn't move at all which was a bonus for me. I smiled.

"Then we'll look at the stars together again," I told her raising a pinky toward her.

"Really?"

"C'mon, it's a promise between us friends," I told her, "We have to seal it with a pinky promise."

I could have sworn I heard a soft laugh coming from her, but she did as I asked as she linked her pinky with mine.

"Then, let's look at the stars together again," she said.

I gently squeezed her hand with my own.

"It's a promise."

* * *

 **A promise made between two friends...**

 **Next Time:** Female Titan

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	22. Female Titan

**Hey guys, sorry for the long dry spell last week. Anyway here is the next chapter of this fic.**

 **Enjoy the read...**

 **Chapter Cover:** The Scout flag dancing in the wind with the shadow of the Female Titan blocking out the sun...

Chapter Twenty-Two

The 57 Expedition

Female Titan

Today was the day.

I woke up this morning almost like I was in a trance or something. There was little conversation going on as the other girls were getting dressed for today and I was just as silent as them as the cloud of what we were about do to today was finally started to sink despite knowing about it a month prior. Today was the day the Scouts were going to go outside of the Wall and into the land that was infested with Titans. I couldn't help the small shiver of fear that was coursing through me at the thought of going out there but even, so I couldn't hide the excitement that was building within me. I was about to head outside of the Walls, something that most people were completely terrified to even think of doing and yet, here I was getting myself ready to do that very same thing. Letting out a soft sigh, I decided to have a light breakfast knowing that I couldn't eat anymore even if I tried…too much nerve settling inside me so far.

The Scout building was in a flurry of activities now with many of the soldiers moving on about in a hurried way as they were getting ready to go on the expedition. There was an air of urgency over the people in they worked and in no time at all we were all on our horses, with our gears at our waist and riding out of the building aiming straight for the Coloneth District.

It didn't take us long to reach the Eastern District and the gate was open large for us to pass through, the Garrison soldiers that were stationed there must have already known of our coming as they were simply standing on the side looking at the Scout passing by. The air around the district was charged with emotions as people were looking in awe at us and there were even some children to where standing by their windows to observe our passing through the city and the wonder in their eyes caused me to smile lightly at them when one of them caught my eyes with their own.

I pulled my horse, the bell around the city ringing to signal our departure from the district. I let out a soft breath feeling the same nervousness from before returning and I chanced a glance around me looking to see if I would spot a familiar face but there was nothing at all except the determined and grim-faced members of the Scout Regiment around me.

Turning to face forward once more I took another calming breath feeling Souris react beneath me.

"If you're too nervous, you'll make the horse nervous as well."

I blinked at the voice from the side and turned to look at it. The Scout member wasn't looking at my direction, but I knew it was him that just talked. The man's eyes which were a curious brown turned toward my direction.

"Sorry," I said softly, "I just can't seem to calm down."

The man chuckled.

"I don't blame you," he said, "I remember all to well my first expedition…thought I was going to shit myself from the fear."

"How many…?"

"This will be my fifth," the man answered me, "Look, all you go to do out there is focus on your job and you'll be fine. Most Titans we will encounter will be seen long before they can reach your position rookie so let us veterans handle them."

I nodded at the man.

"Yes sir," I answered him.

The man simply gives me a light nod before focusing forward again. He was right, despite everything that was going to happen today. All I am going to have to do is focus upon my job of relaying the appropriate signals that I see out there and follow the formation. That's all there is to it…

 _I hope everyone will be okay,_ I thought.

There was a sudden rumbling sound coming from the front and then one after the other, the horses started to move forward in front of me and I took hold of the reign in front of me before quickly approaching moving him forward. Souris was quick to respond to my command as I was now gaining speed and in front of me the bottom of Wall Rose approached closer and I saw that the Gate was opened revealing the land beyond the Gates toward me. My heart was hammering in my chest as I feel my eyes widen lightly as I was now passing through the tunnel and then into bright sunlight.

The ruins of an abandoned city were the first thing I could see after riding out of the tunnel, feeling my cloak dancing behind me with the wind that was blowing through my hair. I had placed it in a ponytail for today so that it doesn't get in my way as I was now riding through the city with the fellow Scouts around me when the sound of ODM being used drew my eyes to my left…

There was a Titan nearby as he was a slightly taller than the ruined houses we were riding through and I couldn't help the gasp escaping my lips at the sight of it. It looked like an overweight person with his belly fully around as he was reaching out toward the Scouts that were fighting against him and I couldn't help but stare.

" _Focus in front of you rookie_ ," a voice barked from my right, " _They're doing their job, so you do yours_."

It was the same man that I was speaking to earlier and he had a frown upon his face as he was riding a little way behind me.

"Yes sir," I answered automatically turning my head to the front once more.

 _He is right,_ I thought, _I need to focus on doing my job…I can't let myself get distracted by anything else._

I continued to ride forward, leaving the Titan and the Scouts that were fighting against it, completely focused now on simply doing my job as I was leaving them behind and in no time at all, we were clearing out from the ruined city and into the open lands that were in front of us. I took notice of a few trees around in the distance and as soon as we had cleared the ruined city, the formation was deployed as many people were now spreading out toward the distance around us so that we could take on our position in the formation.

Taking hold of Souris's reins, I pulled her toward where I needed to go as the people that were around me started to become smaller and smaller, the formation spreading as far as we can and soon enough it was just me, Souris and the world around us as I continued to gallop in the distance I needed to go. I could see some other horses in the distance meaning that they were the Right Wings spotters.

 _I am pretty close to where they are,_ I thought, _As long as they are here…I'm sure that things will be fine after all it would be long before a Titan could break through all those soldiers…_

Suddenly a bang drew my attention forward causing me to look up toward the side as a tin red smoke was rising toward the sky. Seeing this, I wasted no time going for the bag that was on the side of my horse and pulling out the red signal and then, shoot out a smoke signal the red trail rising in the air above me.

 _Normal Titans, meaning that we can avoid fighting them,_ I thought, _Like Ness had explained to us during the lessons. The less we can fight out there the better our chances of success are. We'll be able to form a new route to Shingashina and finally learn whatever secrets Eren has in that basement…_

However, thinking about that also made me think about Erwin's words during the night we chose to become Scouts. Something about this entire thing had made that same uneasy feelings rising through me yet again. That same feeling, I felt like Erwin was playing a game of chess with someone however, who it could be made me wonder…

 _The Armored or the Colossal Titan…could he be trying to catch them?_

With how close the Scouts worked with the Titans on expedition, they are the expect on Titans behavior despite how little we know about them in the first place. With what Eren was, I am sure that their own plans would quickly determine that not everything is as they seem to be with those two Titans…

I shook those thoughts from my head.

 _No need to start worrying about it now,_ I thought, _I need to focus on doing my job out here…getting distracted will get me killed, Titan power or not._

Then something drew my attention to my left. I didn't know what it was at first since I was riding past some trees with other soldiers in the distance of where I was but then suddenly a massive horde of Titans burst from the trees all of them running straight toward where the Scouts soldiers were. I can feel my eyes widen in shock at the sight of the numerous Titan which were all aiming toward all of us completely taken aback by the suddenness of the situation.

 _What the hell…_

The soldiers were all taken aback by the sudden attack of the numerous Titans as some of them were trampled over before they could even think of putting up a fight while the others started to devour those they could see and all I could do for those past few seconds that I was seeing this was gap in horror at what I was seeing.

I instantly turned toward my bag pulling out a black smoke signal so that I could shoot it into the sky but before I could fully do so, the sound of massive running footsteps drew my attention as a Titan rushed past me with such speed that the wind around her caused Souris to be thrown to the side and since I was upon my horse I was thrown off as well, the canister as well as the flare gun flying off somewhere around me and I landed down upon my side as there was a cracking noise of bones breaking.

Pain rushed up my arm as I let out a scream of pain rolling upon the grass until I come to a stop on my shoulder. The screams of the soldiers as well as the footsteps of Titans were loud around me as I was slowly pulling myself up to my feet, pain surging through my body. My left arm was bend in an awkward angle and I couldn't help the tears that fell from my eyes at the pain that was now surging through it. I had never broken a bone before and I never realized just how mind numbing this pain could be.

In the distance from where I was however, I could see the running Titan becoming smaller and smaller as a flicker of blonde danced in the sunlight. I couldn't help but stare at the form in the distance thought strangely enough, it looked oddly female in appearance compared to the Titan ordinary male form…

 _A lot like my own…_

Before that train of thought could go anywhere a large hand was roughly wrapped around my body causing to yell out again as pain shoot out through my broken arm. Gritting my teeth, I turned my gaze toward the direction finding that a Titan was pulling me up toward his mouth so that I could be eaten. I stared down toward the large jaws which were open wide for me…

 _Shit….I got distracted…_

I bit my lip until blood dripped down to my chin and I let the power of the Titan hum into existence around me. Light danced everywhere as flesh materialized around my body and for a split second I was no longer seeing through the eyes of my human body but through the eyes of my Titan who in coming to existence, had pushed the Titan that was about to eat me down unto the ground. Long white hair fell around my head as I stood there looking down at the Titan who was steaming beneath me before raising a hand and slamming a fist straight down toward his nape killing him.

I pulled myself up to my feet looking around myself.

The grass around me was completely stained by the blood of the Scout members that were killed all around me as the Titan continued to feed upon the people that were near where I was. I couldn't help the anger rising through me as I stared toward the many bodies around me. Turning my gaze toward the Titan in front of me, I raised my hand causing the armor to form upon my fingers and my arms before launching forward again.

With the armor upon my body protecting my nape area and around my fingers, the Titans were no match for me at all. Each of my punches were powerful enough to simply tore through the skin and even ripping body parts clean off. I continued to fight against the Titans, taking out all of my rage and frustration upon them and when I was finished, I was the only one alive among the decaying bodies of the Titans around me as well as the bloody remains of the Scouts that were nearby.

I turned my gaze toward the direction the strange blonde female Titan had gone but there was nothing to be seen except large expending open area. Staring out there, I couldn't help but think again about Erwin and the strange feeling that I had in my chest ever since he revealed the plan of what this expedition was to us at the recruiting ceremony.

 _Could this mean…that this is who he was waiting for?_ I thought, _Then…that would mean, that the Female Titan…is another Shifter…that makes five known Shifters so far including me…but, if the female Titan is here then…could she be after Eren?_

I closed my eyes for a few moments going over the plan in my head. We were originally out there to make a new path to Shingashina but…what if this expedition had a different goal then what we were told? What if this entire expedition…was only a lure…a reason to draw _Shifters_ out in the open. The ones that were responsible for the destruction of Wall Maria five years ago…

With a yell, I pulled myself free from the fleshy parts that were around me, emerging from the nape of the Gray Titan that was mine. It was an odd feeling that was coursing through me, the cool air striking my skin, a sharp contrast from the steaming heat that was from the Titan's flesh that was still connected upon my body.

"If that's true then," I said softly, "Then Commander Erwin is using Eren as bait as well as the lives of the people out there to catch this new Shifter….and from the Titan form, it's a girl…like me…but who?"

I shook my head.

"I need to rejoin the formation," I said, "I'll think about it when I have the chance."

I let out a strong whistle around me as I landed back down upon the ground using my gear to do so. I glanced around myself looking at the empty lands in front of me safe for the numerous corpses of the Scouts that were nearby before letting out another whistle for my horse and soon enough, Souris was there galloping toward me until he came to a stop in front of me.

"Good boy," I said patting him before climbing on, "C'mon let's go."

I galloped away leaving behind the broken bodies of the Right-Wing Spotters and making my way to rejoin the formation hoping that they were not too far away for me to not reach them in time. I didn't need to worry for long for green smoke rounds emerged in the distance around me causing me to blink lightly at the sight of them.

 _Wait…we're changing course,_ I thought, _could it be command is aware of the Female Titan's presence then?_

I made my way toward the bag at the side of the horse pulling out the spare gun that I had in there. I locked the green on before launching a green trail above me following the formation. Commander Erwin isn't going to retreat since we've been barely out here for an hour already so if we're changing course…could it be that he was moving on with his plan?

The shifter could only be another soldier. It was only to soldiers that Erwin had revealed that information to meaning that the mysterious new shifter was one of the Cadet as well. Is she part of the Scouts as well but even that couldn't have given the situation a way out yet…

Eren transformation caused the enemy to stop their attack on Trost…and with the promise of the secret that was in Eren's basement…could they be after that secret as well? That would be the main reason as to why they would want to have Eren and possibly take this secret for themselves. There was a chance also that they were just keeping us in the dark about what's out there beyond the Walls. What happened to the Titans that the Scout had in custody is more than enough proof against them…

But why?

Why are they keeping us in the dark?

What was it so bad out there that they would try to keep this secret from us?

These types of questions continued to mull over my mind as I continued to ride following the smoke signal around and launching my own until I came across a forest of giant trees in front of me. The sun was already hot and high in the air and another smoke signal drew my attention as it shoots out from the trees. It was a small regroup signal and they were probably aiming it at me.

I approached the direction where it came from and was greeted by a Scout who zipped down toward me.

"Find a perch rookie," the man yelled at me, "We were given orders to keep all Titans from entering this forest."

I blinked in confusion.

"Wait…what?"

"Up to soldier," the man said before launching up again.

I tied my horse and launched up toward the trees, landing down upon a nearby branch.

"Sarah?" a familiar voice spoke out to me.

There was Bertholdt standing there looking down toward where he stood. I couldn't help the small smile upon my lips at the sight of a familiar face.

"Hey Bert," I greeted, "Do you have any idea of what's going on?"

The young man simply shook his head.

"Sorry," he said, "But I don't have a clue."

"Yeah, they just told us to perch up here for no good reason," another familiar voice spoke out, "Wish I knew where Krista was."

Ymir was standing on another branch by herself as she was looking down at the ground in front of her. There was no Titan in sight yet from where we were standing but we were ordered to keep Titans out of the forest so that's what we're going to do.

"Say Sarah, you have any idea where Krista is?" she asked, looking at me.

"Sorry don't have a clue," I answered her.

"I found that strange considering how buddy-buddy the two of you have been lately," Ymir said raising an eyebrow almost daring me to challenge her.

"Ymir, Krista is my friend," I told her simply, "If she wants to hang out with me then I'm not opposed to it. Stop standing over her like an overprotective mother and let her make her own decisions."

Ymir simply scoffed before turning her attention away from me. I seriously wonder how someone like Krista could ever put up with someone like her. I shook my head lightly before turning my attention toward the distance once more scanning the horizon for a sign of any Titans but there was still nothing else…

 _Keeping us out here…could it be that Commander Erwin is planning to confront the Female Titan in these woods…but how? These giant trees make for perfect ODM environment but even that might not be enough if that Female Titan is a Shifter…are they going to have Eren transform to battle against her?_

"Titan sighted," a voice spoke out.

I instantly focused forward my blades rising at the ready as the sight of a twelve-meter Titan had appeared in the distance. From how he was walking, he was a normal Titan as he was heading straight toward where we stood almost like they could smell us.

"You looked like you had something figured out Sarah," Ymir spoke again, drawing my eyes toward her, "Want to share with the rest of the class?"

"It's nothing for you to worry about Ymir," I told her.

The girl gave me a look telling that she wasn't buying my answer but I wasn't going to say anything else to her so I simply refocused my attention upon the Titan that was heading our way. They were even more Titan than before approaching in direction of the forest.

I had a feeling that things are simply going to get worse from here on out. I was worried about the others, but I had to focus on doing my job here and keeping the Titans out of the forest but then that doesn't mean that we must fight them right?

If we keep the Titan occupied, then there is no way that they will be able to interfere with whatever Commander Erwin is doing back there. I stared down toward the Titans which had been growing nearer and nearer toward where we stood high above them in the giant trees that we were perched on. They ignored the horses completely as they were heading straight toward us, their hands reaching up toward were we stood.

I stared down at them, seeing nothing that even resemble intelligence within those dark hungry eyes. The Titans may look physically like human beings but anything that could be human about them were completely gone leaving behind a lumbering sack of flesh that was driven by the most basic instinct one could have.

The urge to feed.

 _Disgusting._

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read...**

 **Next Time:** Forest of Giant Trees

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	23. Forest of Giant Trees

**Hey guys here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update so enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah flying with her ODM and sword out as the Female Titan stared at her.

Chapter Twenty-Three

The 57th Expedition

Forest of Giant Trees

The hours passed slowly as I was standing upon the thick branch at the edge of the giant trees. The heat from the sunny day didn't help either as I was looking down toward the Titans that had started to gather beneath where we were. It was only a couple at the beginning, but slowly and surely, they came crawling out from every direction as they were all looking toward where we stood some of them even grabbing at the trunks of the tree or sliding their hand upon it in their attempt to reach us.

Safe to say, I was keeping myself calm in the situation that I had found myself in. With what had happened to the right-wing spotters with the blonde Female Titan, I was simply leaning against the bark of the tree I was on with my pairing blades at the ready. I was easily at a twenty-five-meter height from where the Titans were and the tallest I could see among them was an eleven meter who was grabbing at the tree Ymir was standing on as the darker skinned girl was staring down at Titan with a nervous expression upon her features.

On the other side, Berthold was also there, looking also nervous at the numerous Titans that were crawling at us but could hardly reach where we were standing. With this amount of Titan, attempting to fight against them will be suicide at best…only the most skilled soldiers would even have a chance of coming out of it alive so we were basically stuck here as we were looking down toward the Titans beneath us…thought sometimes I would hear the pop of a flare gun going off somewhere within the forest and it made me wonder exactly what was going on inside.

Could the Female Titan be in the forest as well?

I glanced up toward the commanding officer that was with us and the man was staring down at the Titan with a nervous expression upon his face. The order was to keep the Titans from entering this forest, but he didn't give any order for us to engage in combat something that I am glad for…however, there was a chance that he didn't have any idea of what was truly going on either, given what his expression was.

 _Then…maybe only the top members of the Scouts knew about the situation,_ I thought, _Then…_

"Hey, I have been meaning to ask you Sarah," Ymir spoke out drawing my eyes toward her, "Why do you have blood upon your clothing?"

I blinked in surprise at her before looking down at my clothes. My green cloak was opened thanks to me raising my hand toward my chin while I was thinking and one of my sleeves had a dark spot upon it. I stared down at the place for a few moments before realizing that this was the spot where my arm was broken when I fell off Souris earlier during the Female Titan first's appearance. I didn't even realize that the injury was this bad before I transformed, and it healed me…

"Didn't even realize it," I answered her.

Ymir let out a groan.

"What kind of idiot are you not to realize when you're wounded?" she asked, "You'll give Connie a run for his money at this rate."

I gave her a glare.

"Don't insult me," I told her.

Ymir simply turned her gaze back toward the Titans that were bellow us.

"Look at that bastard, he's trying to climb the damn tree," she said.

She was right. One of the Titans a seven meter was slowly making his way up the tree, testing and grabbing at numerous part so that he could reach where we were standing. I stared at the Titan, marvelled for a moment as the large creature was slowly moving up toward at us, his eyes wide with a blank expression upon his features as his eyes were fixed toward us.

It was kind of amazing yet terrifying sight to see a Titan, something that was labelled as a mindless creature was learning how to climb a damn tree just so that he could reach where his food was. I stared at the creature as he was working his way up the tree.

"You best move Ymir," I told her.

"No kidding," Ymir answered before doing as I told her coming to land beside where I was standing looking at the Titan as well. She was crouched as she was looking at the Titan, a nervous expression upon her features as she was looking at it.

"Damn bastards," she muttered under her breath.

"Makes you realize just how little we actually know about them," I said staring at the Titan.

The Titan seems to have noticed his food wasn't there anymore as his attention now then was turned at our direction, the same dead blank expression upon his face as his large eyes was now fixed upon where we stood. The dead eye stare and the blank expression was unnerving to see.

Ymir who was kneeling beside where I was gave me a look.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Think about it," I told the girl, "In the century of their entire existence, how much do we really know about them other than their terrifying height, their weakness at the nape and that they eat people. Other than that, they are a complete mystery to us. Who create them? Why were they created? Where do they come from?"

"You think someone created the Titans?" Berthold asked, and there was a strange tone in his voice.

"Well, we do know that there was a time before Titans came into existence," I said giving the boy a glance, "the lands humanity abandoned fleeing these giant monsters. Humanity wasn't born inside the Walls, and I damn well will make sure that I see what's out there before I die."

"You're starting to sound like Eren," Ymir said, "Our class already have one suicidal bastard…we don't need another."

Despite myself, I couldn't really hold the snort that escape from me at that.

"He may be a suicidal bastard," I said, "His words have merit within them…."

Suddenly the air was filled with numerous echoing explosion that was coming from deep inside the forest. The sounds startled me as Ymir was instantly upon her feet looking up at the sound that was echoing around us. I turned my gaze at the direction that the noise was coming from completely surprised at the echoing booms.

"Are those…canon fires?" Ymir asked.

"Can't be…," I said, "I didn't see them bringing any cannons in the supplies wagons."

Ymir gave me a glance.

"Then what else could make such a racket?" she asked.

"I…I don't know…," I said softly.

I really didn't know what could be making those noises. It sounded like cannon fire, but I was sure I haven't seen the Scouts bring any type of cannons within the wagons that I have seen. Their shape would have been obvious even beneath the clothing and their weight is something else as well. With how heavy cannons were, bringing them out there when your main job is to get away from Titans will not be ideal…

But for them to use it in the forest…

"No way…could they be using it against that Titan?" I said.

"Huh?"

"There was threat that was moving from the right wing," I told Ymir, "and it burrowed itself far inside the formation…could the Commander have been aware of it and decided to set a trap?"

Ymir stayed silent thinking for a moment. Berthold was also silent as we were all quiet with the sound of the canon fires disappearing as well. There was nothing but a tense silence now as we were all now on edge about what was going to happen next. So, it seems that my theory was right in thinking that the Commander was going to confront that Female Titan…but if they were canon fires…it looks like Eren won't be fighting after all if there are using some sort of canon fire against the Female Titan…

 _But will it even be enough?_ I thought, _canon fire may do some damage against normal Titans but if that Female Titan is like me and Eren, she would be smarter than most Titans and would be able to avoid the canons if she saw them unless she was lured into a trap and those canons fired as soon as she was at the right position… even so…that's a great risk to take… all of the death that happened…just so that a moment like that could happen…_

"Sarah," Berthold spoke out, breaking me from my thoughts, "You said that there was a threat on the right wing? What type of threat?"

"I don't really get it but I think it's someone who is like Eren," I told him, "Someone who can conjure and control a Titan body."

Berthold looked at me his eyes wide with surprise at what I was saying.

"Is that so?" Ymir murmured.

I didn't say anything else for my attention was fixed upon the direction deeper within the forest wishing that I could see what was happening in there but there was nothing else going on where we are…only making sure that none of the Titans interfered with the operation that was going on deep within the Forest of Giant Trees.

"You think…Commander Erwin planned for that?" Berthold asked me, curiosity in his voice.

"It's just an idea I had since our recruitment drive," I answered the young man, "Ever since he mentioned we'll be going outside of the Walls…I felt like there was something else going on. I didn't really understand it before however, the more I think on it, the more that it made sense."

"What is exactly?"

I gave him a glance.

"There is an enemy in our midst," I told him, "that same enemy that killed those two Titans that the Scouts were testing on. Commander Erwin must have realized that whoever that enemy was, they'll be after Eren… and since his position was in the right wing…I guess it make sense why they attacked there…"

"Right wing?" Ymir responded, "My copy of the plan had Eren on the left wing."

I stared at the girl surprised.

"What?"

"And even Krista has it as well," Ymir continued, "Since I asked.

"That's strange," Berthold said, "Reiner and I were given the copy that he was on the right wing as well…"

I was frozen in surprised.

"Does that mean…we were given _false information_?"

"Why would the Commander do that?" Ymir exclaimed, "Given us false information in the middle of such an important mission."

 _C'mon Sarah, think about it,_ I thought, _there has to be a reason why the Commander played it this way. If he was suspecting the spy to be among the Cadets…then, there would be a chance that they would have joined the Scout to get close to Eren…but…by giving false information, to some of the Cadets, routing out the spy becoming much easier to do…Captain Levi was supposed to be with Eren along with his team then…Levi squad would be placed at a place that would be remotely safer if they are to protect him…_

I pulled out my small notebook and flipped through the pages until I reached the rough sketch I had of the formation. I muttered lightly to myself as I traced the formation with my finger until I reached rear of the center rank…

"The safest place in the formation," I said, "That has to be where he was…if the Center rank were the only group to go inside the forest then, the Commander really did use Eren as bait to draw the enemy out and maybe those canons were their confrontation."

I closed the notebook.

"It could be that he was thinking several steps ahead," I told Ymir simply.

"Or he is simply off his rockers," Ymir muttered.

That was…not what I expected from the Commander of the Scouts, but at the same time, to sacrifice so many people just to get to the enemy. I guess you don't become the Commander of the regiment with the highest casualty rate by playing it safe.

Thought the next sound that shocked us was the sound of a powerful screech echoing throughout the entire forest. I glanced up at the sound completely taken aback by it. Just what could have caused that powerful scream?

"What the…," Ymir said shocked, "Look at the Titans."

I glanced down toward them and feel my eyes widen at the sight of the large creatures all of them fully running into the forest. The Titans which had been swarming the trees we were perching on were now completely ignoring us and was now all running into the forest.

"Why are they ignoring us all of a sudden?" Ymir asked shocked.

 _I…It's just like back then…_ I thought remembering when I had seen before I was thrown off my horse. _The large group of Abnormal that overwhelmed the Right wing spotters…and the Female Titan was there as well… could it be how she led them…_

"ENGAGE," our commanding officer yelled, "Do not let the Titans inside the Forest at all."

I raised my blades in attention before all of us jumped down aiming straight toward our enemies but fighting Titans which were moving as quickly as them was a challenge since they were all ignoring us completely as they were all running deeper into the trees with us following them.

"They're too fast," Berthold yelled.

I launched my hook into a tree before landing against it, steaming blood evaporating from my clothing. The Titan I had just attacked, a strike that would have been perfectly on the nape if the Titan was moving normally had left a gasp upon the lower back that was quickly healing away as he was moving away from where I was.

"Can't get a clear shot at all," Ymir yelled landing against a tree.

"Damn it," the Scout commander yelled as he missed another attack.

However, despite our best effort we only managed to bring down six of them and by the time we did that, most of the Titans were already gone leaving us behind and disappearing beyond the trees that were in front of us. I landed down upon a branch huffing and out of breath as Berthold landed beside me, removing sweat from his brow.

"They've gone," he said.

"It's that Titan again," I said narrowing my eyes, "That's how she destroyed the Right Wing spotters…"

I could feel the taller boy's gaze upon my form.

"Is that why you have blood upon your clothing?"

I didn't answer him vocally, but my silence might as well have been my answer. Ymir came to land right beside where we are.

"Titans are completely gone," she said, "I wonder what that scream was for all of them to run straight toward it?"

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

"Hell, if I know," the girl said.

The sound of flare going off drew our attentions as we looked out toward the forest seeing blue flare rising in the distance. I blinked in surprise at them.

"Wait… _withdraw_?" I said shocked.

"Then it's over?" Berthold said surprised.

"Good," Ymir said, "Maybe that way I can find Krista again. I've been away from her far too long for my taste."

"Rookies get to your horses," the commander said, "We're redeploying the formation."

"Yes sir," Ymir said before flying off with her ODM.

I stayed there looking out toward the forest feeling the sense of dread in my chest. This was too easy. There is no way they could have taken care of the Female Titan and all of those Abnormals at the same time and if she was the one that called them with that scream…

 _No…this is not over…not by a long shot,_ I thought, _That Female Titan…whoever she is. She is still out there._

"Sarah, c'mon let's head back," Berthold told me placing his hand upon my shoulder.

I gave him a glance before nodding at him. I followed Berthold until we were back at where I tied my horse. I petted Souris nose for a few moments before climbing back upon the horse but instead of going after the group I turned my horse back toward the forest once more and galloped in. Something about this entire situation had me on edge ever since I heard that scream and I needed to get to Levi Squad before her.

 _And if she is after Eren…then, that's exactly where I will find the enemy,_ I thought to myself frowning, _Please let me make it in time to warn them of the danger…If there is one way that the Female Titan can be stop is with another Titan shifter…Eren might be able to stop it but…will he be in control…._

Then, what I could hear was a roar that echoed through the forest causing me to glance upward at it in shock. It was a familiar roar, one I heard back in Trost District before Rogue had collapsed down upon the ground in front of us while we were at HQ.

 _Shit…Eren transformed…._

"C'mon Souris faster," I urged my horse to go forward once more.

The horse obeyed me as I continued to move forward aiming straight toward the direction where I heard the powerful screams coming from and as I was growing closer to the area, I can feel the ground shaking with the powerful blows that were being exchanged probably from Eren and that strange Female Titan that was at the root of all of our problems lately.

I pulled myself into a crouch upon Souris back before I launched upward toward the trees, using my gear to go even faster using a lot of gas to go forward again. When I arrived however, I arrived just in time to see Eren's Titan's head flying off his shoulder as well as the trees he was leaning against falling toward the ground with a powerful boom.

The Female Titan approached his Titan form and ripped the skin off at the nape revealing the young man that was completely consumed in the flesh of the Titan before biting down upon him. I didn't even hesitate anymore for as soon as she had done that, I sliced my own hand upon my blades before my entire body was engulfed into light, my Titan body materializing from thin air and I landed down upon the ground in a crouch in front of the Female Titan.

She had blood dripping down her chin as she stared at me, eyes wide at my appearance almost like she wasn't expecting me to appear at all. Unlike last time when I had seen her, she had been too far away to make out any feature safe for her blond hair, however now I could see many of her features. She was skinless in part of her body different than how Eren looked as Rogue who was full skin. Her eyes which were a piercing blue stared at me as I pulled myself up to my full fourteen-meter height staring straight at her.

We both stared at each other as the Female Titan stepped back lightly as she observed me, her body language telling me that she was cautious about my presence but since her face was almost hidden by the blonde hair falling upon it, I couldn't really see her expression at all.

Then she moved, launching to the side at a different direction and I followed her rushing with full speed after the Titan. I wasn't going to let her get away with Eren, not when I was here to protect him. I came to a stop as I blocked her path causing the Female Titan to switch tactics as causing her to launch a punch straight at me. I raised my armored arm and blocked the punch and to my surprise I felt my armor shattering from it. I can feel my eyes widening lightly at the sight of her fist which was completely crystallized in some way, breaking my armored forearm as well as the bones there.

Steams were already rising from my arm and taking advantage of my delay in reaction, the Female Titan launched another fist straight toward my face, her fist covered in that same crystal-like substance. I feel my Titan's face crack as the bones and blood flew from the attack and I found myself stumbling back until my back found a tree to lean on, completely disoriented from that attack. I can feel the steam rising from that side of my face as it was healing as my good eye stared at the Female Titan who was looking at me and there was a trace of curiosity within those blue eyes as they stared at me.

There was a trace of something in those eyes before she turned around and started to run away…

With Eren…

I let out a growl as I raised my hand to the side without even thinking about it at all as a long javelin was formed in my hand. Then I threw it straight toward the Female Titan and it pierced her straight through the middle of her stomach causing her to falter in her running as she fell upon the ground on her knees. She then turned her head toward me as I was now upon my feet my face now fully healed as I glared down toward her. I approached toward the Female Titan on the ground, ran through by my javelin as steam rose from within her body. She was tired from the looks of it and I didn't know why but it worked in my favor for I came at her with my full strength.

I will be the first one to admit that my hand to hand combat was not that good. It's not like I ever really needed it in the first place unlike most of the top Cadets. That wasn't to say that I am bad at fighting. I could hold my own in a fight but against someone like Mikasa or Annie, I'd be down in five second flat. However, the Female Titan was fast and good at dodging my attacks. She was also quick on her feet as she avoided most of my attacks despite having a javelin through her body.

 _Damn it,_ I thought roaring as another fist missed her head by inches.

The Female Titan slid back from me, her blond hair flying in the wind as I came at her again but before I could do anything a blur of green flashed on the edge of my vision before blood exploded from both blonde Titan's eyes. I instantly stepped back in shock at what had just happened, and the Female Titan instantly raised both of her arms to protect her nape area…where her real body was.

The blur of green flashed by again, leaving gash and mark upon the Female's body and it was so fast that I couldn't even see who it was but I knew that it was a member of the Scouts but who could it be, I have no idea. The Female Titan seems to crumble as her legs were steaming having both Achilles heel sliced forcing her to fall against a large tree. I stepped away from where she was not wanting to be attacked as well as the Scout member simply tore her up with how quick he was and it made me wonder exactly how could someone be that swift in his movements….

Then a figure flew past my side and I glanced at it finding it to be none other than Mikasa Ackerman.

 _Mikasa…_

* * *

 **Face to face with Mikasa in her Titan form...**

 **Next Time:** Sacrifice

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	24. Sacrifice

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Captain Levi walking by himself with his blades covered in blood...

Chapter Twenty-Four

The 57th Expedition

Sacrifice

 **NO POV**

Mikasa knew something was wrong ever since she heard Eren's Titan scream. When she had seen the retreat signal rise in the air, she had found herself breathing a little bit easier with how confusing and damn right frustrating everything was going on around her with the Formation deviating off course to be taken right into those trees. While she had been focused upon doing her job as a spotter and relaying the correct signal to her comrades, the dark-haired girl couldn't help but feel worried for her friends. She was worried about Armin and Eren and even Sarah who was quickly becoming one of her best friends beside Armin.

However, hearing the cry of Eren's Titan had thrown all caution away for Mikasa and she had simply rushed forward without even thinking of a plan. She ignored Sasha's cry behind her aiming straight back into the forest once more despite having given the order to retreat completely. She didn't know what was going on truthfully, but she knew that something had been happening on the right Wing of the formation…thought what that something is, she had no idea yet and then there was the stranger order they had given them to simply keep Titans out of the forest…

However, she wasn't going to allow herself to lose Eren again…

" _Promise me you'll take care of him…,"_

Carla Yeager's words were scarred across Mikasa's mind given how it was the last promise she had made to the woman who had taken her in when her own mother was murdered. She will do anything to repay that kindness that had been given to her and if that means saving Eren's life from whatever threat that come after him…then she will gladly throw herself into the fray of battle for him.

Mikasa's attention was then pulled forward as she took notice of Eren's Titan form in the distance in front of her and for a wild second, she felt relief knowing that he was still fighting, however, he wasn't moving at all seemingly staring at something off that was hidden by a few trees but then, something flashed by his head and the Titan's head was send flying off somewhere as his body collapsed against the ground and then another Titan made its appearance.

It was a blonde female one, and it looked remarkably different then Eren's. The Female Titan kneeled to Eren's form her lips opening wide…wider than any normal human being should be able to open their lips before she ripped flesh from the area of the nape…

 _Where Eren's real body was…_

"EREN NO," Mikasa find herself screaming out.

The Female Titan payed her no mind as she suddenly bit down upon the nape ripping it off as Mikasa was simply frozen in shock and horror as the Titan ate Eren, as she saw his legs disappear between the large teeth. The girl was completely frozen where she was hanging, unable to think at all as the image of what had just happened was just imprinted within her mind. The first time, when she had heard Eren had gotten killed, she had completely shut down, unable to process that she had lost the last living person that she considered to be family but she had never seen him gotten eaten….not like Armin had seen.

But now, seeing it, was much worse than earing about it from someone else. Mikasa felt like her heart had just been ripped out from her chest seeing the Female Titan straightening up…and then a sudden burst of light drew both of their attentions as another form was brought into existence right across where she was.

Another Titan had just materialized as Mikasa's eyes suddenly widen in shock at the sight of it.

The first thing she noticed was that it was ash gray skin with long white hair falling down upon its shoulder. Its arm and shoulder had strange plate like objects over the skin and from the shape it was easy to tell that it was also a Female shaped Titan as it was in a crouching position. Mikasa could only stare at the Titan, suddenly remembering seeing that same Titan back during the Trost recovery operation.

 _The Titan from before…. but…what…_

The Gray Titan straightened up revealing its golden eyes that were almost like molten amber thought its attention was only focused upon the blonde across them who had taken a few steps back away at the new arrival appearance and from the way she was moving…she was cautious about the new arrival, unable to determine whether it's friend or foe…

So, she decided to run leaving both Mikasa and the Gray Titan behind.

The Gray Titan was quick to follow her, keeping herself parallel to her blonde counterpart until she cut off her escape route. The blonde didn't stop as she suddenly launched her fist forward causing the Gray one to block it, a classic blocking move that Mikasa finding herself recognizing from training at boot camp but that didn't seem to help much as the blonde managed to injure the Gray which seems to cause her to delay something that the blonde took full advantage by smashing a fist straight into Gray's face sending the Titan stumbling backward until she was leaning against a tree, half of it's face caved in with steam and blood everywhere…the other eye fixed upon the blonde.

The blonde only spared a short glance before she started to move again and Mikasa find herself reacting to that. She couldn't allow the blonde to get away, not when she knew it within her gut that Eren was still alive inside her mouth. She doesn't know why she believed that but maybe because the alternative was too painful to revisit…

However, before she could move, someone stopped her yet again but this time, a human arm was wrapped around her waist as she was yanked to the side. Mikasa turned her gaze toward the person wanting to see who was holding her and find herself staring back into the face of Humanity's Strongest Soldier.

Captain Levi.

"Don't," the man said, "She is too dangerous for you to take on alone."

"But she has Eren…," Mikasa argued.

"I saw the carcass back there," Levi said simply, "She bit him straight at the nape. There is no way that Eren survived."

Mikasa's rage and frustration at the entire day find itself boiling over by that point. She glared at the shorter man with all those feeling boiling within her.

"No, _he is alive,"_ she growled, "If she wanted to kill him, she would have simply crushed him. _And Eren wouldn't be in this situation if you had done your damn fucking job at protecting him."_

Levi stared at her, his face blank of all emotions.

"I see," he said, "You're the childhood friend from the courtroom…"

He seems to think for a moment.

"Then we'll operate from your belief that he is alive," he said, focusing forward again at the blonde Female Titan that had started to run away again, "However, don't attempt to kill her, just focus on getting Eren back. She's got defense neither of us has training to deal with got it."

Mikasa nodded.

"Even so…," Levi said chancing a glance toward the Gray Titan, "This one is also a dangerous one."

Mikasa looked at the Gray as well.

"She seemed to be intent on keeping her here," she said, "She helped us out back during the Trost recovery operation…I… _I think she is on our side_."

"Don't get naïve," Levi retorted, "As far as I am concerned, their both enemies."

However, before any of them could say anything, the air around them suddenly got cold as both of their attention were drawn back toward the Gray Titan who had a hand raised in the air. Something was forming in her palm extending until it took the shape of a lance of some kind. Her face, Mikasa noticed which had been broken had completely healed over as she launched the lance forward and the strange weapon piercing straight through the Female Titan's mid back thought it didn't seem to have damaged her spine much as she stumbled and fell upon the ground on her knees.

 _W…What the hell was that?_ Mikasa thought shocked at what just happened.

After that the Gray Titan struck forward engaging her blonde counterpart into a fist fight. Both Mikasa and Captain Levi were using their gears to follow the Titans around keeping out of sight as the two of them. Mikasa was keeping an eye upon the battle going on and she could tell that the Gray Titan wasn't that great at hand to hand combat or it was that the blonde was just to good for her. However, her speed seems to make up for her lack of skills as she kept the blonde from retaliating against her keeping her solely on the defensive.

"I have a plan," Captain Levi spoke out drawing Mikasa's attention toward him, "It is dangerous to get in the way of this fight the way they are going and it's safe to say these two are definitely not on the same side. I guess what you said before had some merit to it…however, our mission is still to take Eren and get out of here before any of them could realize what has happened. I'll handle all of the cutting and attack and if Gray isn't an enemy then it shouldn't attack…"

He glanced back at her.

"I'll leave her to you to draw her attention away," he said, "That should give me enough time to slice her up and get Eren out of here."

"Right," Mikasa said, unsure about drawing the attention of the Gray Titan but she was prepared to fight if it comes to that.

 _Armin theorized that the Gray Titan must have been someone like Eren,_ she thought, _and from how she appeared…he was right. As for her identity…._

Before she could think further about this, Captain Levi suddenly dove straight for the blonde female Titan, moving so fast he was a blur of green and gray gas and there was a flash of steel before the blonde was completely blind. Mikasa couldn't help but be amazed at the level of speed the man had moved and continued to move slicing up as he was all over the blonde's female Titan body, as the Titan had raised both of her arms to protect her nape…protecting her real body…

 _He is so fast,_ she thought, staring at what Levi was doing, _She doesn't even have time to react at all…Humanity's strongest soldier…Captain Levi of the Scout Regiment…_

The Gray Titan however seemed surprised at the sudden appearance of Captain Levi as she put some distance between herself and the other titan, however, she didn't move to protect her nape at all unlike her counterpart, thought Mikasa did notice that her skin around the nape was slightly blocky somehow…

 _And when she blocked the punch from before…part of her skin cracked like some sort of glass…or maybe like armor…but she can't be the Armored Titan…I saw that bastard myself back in Shingashina…_

Then it happened.

The Gray Titan had noticed her, and Mikasa find herself staring into a large molten colored eye that seems to be the same shade as a red sunset. Looking at that eye staring at her, Mikasa felt a jolt of familiarity course through her, but for what reason she wasn't aware of it yet. When she had been noticed, Mikasa had expected the Gray Titan to attack her or something however, surprisingly she hadn't done anything of the sort only continued to put distance between her and her blonde counterpart.

 _If she is the Armored Titan…. then where did she come from? Why did she help us during the Trost campaign? And why is she here in the Walls?_

None of these questions that were swirling within Mikasa's mind had a clear answer as to what was truly going on right now but a sudden boom drew her eyes away from the Gray Titan seeing the blonde was on her ass and on the ground, her body completely steaming and limp of all movement.

 _She can't move at all…it looks like her entire body gone limp,_ the dark-haired girl thought looking at the Titan, _Now is my chance. With the nape exposed…I'll kill her._

She launched her hook toward the blonde Titan before aiming down toward her with the intention of finishing the blonde off however, the area of the nape was suddenly covered in a strange crystal-like substance that caused her to widen her eyes in shock as a shadow appeared on right…

 _The shadow of the back of a large skinless hand…aiming right for her._

Then Captain Levi was there, pushing her away as he landed upon the back of the hand, however he let out a grunt of pain. Then, he slicked at the blonde Titan's mouth forcing it open revealing none other than Eren Yeager on her tongue completely covered in slime.

"EREN," the girl yelled.

Levi swoop in and took the boy before landing upon a branch higher than were she had landed.

"I've got him," he said, "He is fine…filthy but fine."

Then he gave her a glare.

"What did I say about trying to kill her?" he growled, "Is killing her more important than getting your friend back? We all get that you love him but try not to act crazy about it."

Mikasa couldn't help the wince at the harsh words. Somehow, in the back of her mind, she knew that if Sarah got wind of this, she'll get another scolding from her friend. She had acted without thinking yet again and that was the second time she almost died because of it.

"But…i…," she spoke trying to come up with an argument however there was nothing.

Levi turned his attention toward the front as well as she did, but all Mikasa found was the decaying corpse of the Gray Titan lying against a tree. She had thought it odd that she hadn't interfered with their fight, but it would seem she had used the time they had been engaging the blonde Titan to escape.

 _She ran off before we could realize who she is,_ she thought following Levi as they were both leaving both female Titan behind, _I don't understand why she is getting involved but it didn't seem to be that she was after Eren…but then, if she isn't after Eren…what is she really after?_

She found that these questions made her uncomfortable about what could be awaiting them in the future…though she didn't really understand why deep within herself, she felt that the Gray Titan was familiar…

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

I could feel the familiar exhaustion that always come from transforming into a Titan. While I was flying through the trees with the use of my ODM gears, leaving both Mikasa and what I had assumed to be Captain Levi to handle the Female Titan. When I had seen them grab Eren from her mouth, I knew that they didn't need me here anymore and had to leave before their attention will return to me once more. It was a dick move to simply leave them to fend for themselves, but Captain Levi was a veteran Scout member and he would take care of the other two.

That much I could count on it…however, I could steel feel the mark of my transformation upon my face. These things were always a pain for they never seem to fade away as quickly as I wanted them to. I raised a hand toward my eyes feeling the deep gash that were upon my skin from where the Titan flesh had been connected to me. I had decided to pull my hood up so that I can hide their form and from the steam still rising from my clothing, most of the blood from the Titan carcass was still upon my body as well. I'm however grateful that my equipment didn't melt in that intense heat other wise, I might have not gotten away from that situation as quickly as I did.

I landed upon a random branch before letting out a strong whistle for Souris to come to get to me and sure enough, the horse was there coming toward me. I let out a small smile and jumped down toward it before landing back upon the animal and sheathing my blades.

"C'mon let's get out of here," I told the animal before leaving the forest behind and into the open lands.

Signal flares shoot out toward the sky which had started to turn into mid afternoon as had spend the better part of today outside of the walls and with the regroup signal in the air, I pulled out a canister and shoot out a green smoke from it, revealing my position to nearby Scouts that were in the area before heading straight toward where regroup smoke was coming from.

It was time to leave and return to the Wall.

I joined with the few of the Scouts that I could see and was quickly put to work so that we could gather the fallen bodies of the people that had died during the Expedition and just like how it had been after the Trost Recovery Operation, the amount of bodies that we could find was as much as it had been in the city. One of the Scouts member, a young woman by the name of Nifa was the one that was with me as we were both carrying a body into the large cart that was brought for the bodies.

"I heard Captain Levi's entire squad was killed," one Scout said from where I was.

"Must have happened inside the forest," another spoke.

"This mission…was a failure," the man said shaking his head.

I glared at the conversing Scouts for a few moments before returning my gaze toward the approaching group seeing Commander Erwin among them as well as Captain Levi. They were two others, a woman with glasses upon her face her brown hair into a ponytail as she was talking to someone and then I spied Mikasa who was riding her horse thought her attention was fixed upon the carriage she was riding beside of.

I raised a hand toward my face feeling that the marks of my Titan transformation had already faded away, so I removed my hood as I approached toward him.

"Mikasa," I called out.

The girl who had gotten off her horse looked at me. There was a flash of something upon her features, but it was gone before I could decipher what it was. She gave me a light nod of acknowledgement before turning her attention back toward the cart. I did the same finding that it was Eren who was lying down inside of it. His head was bandaged but he looked unhurt with a Scout cloak upon his body.

"Is he okay?" I asked her.

"He'll be fine," she said, "He just need some rest."

I observed Eren for a few moments before letting out a small sigh.

"Sarah, where were you positioned?" she asked me.

I gave her a curious glance at the question, but I answered her.

"On the right wing," I told her, "Things went to shit barely an hour into the mission out there…At least we'll be returning to the Wall now with the mission over."

Mikasa didn't say anything else as she was simply staring down at Eren, that gentle care in her dark eyes. I decided to give the two of them sometimes alone and with a soft whistle I brought Souris toward me before climbing up the horse. Everyone around us was getting ready to move as we were all ready to leave the area and in no time at all, the rest of the Scouts were moving now carrying a mountain of corpses in tow. I noticed Jean and Armin nearby and the blonde guy had given me a small nod of acknowledgment other than that as we were ridding forward.

Suddenly there was a pop of a flare gun which drew my attention toward the back finding two soldiers riding for us while having two Titans following them and from what I can see they were Abnormals, the both.

 _Shit,_ I thought, looking at the running Titan that was getting dangerously close toward the rear riders.

"Dump them," a voice called out.

Captain Levi had joined the back as the two Scouts that were with the bodies looked at him in shock.

"What?"

"Do you know how many corpses we've already left behind?" he asked, "These aren't important… _dump them._ Consider this their last service to the cause."

I can feel my eyes widen in shock at the order, however, given the situation we were in, we were in no shape of engaging our ODM gears in the wide-open space that was around us. However, to dump the bodies of our fallen comrades…that was just…

The sound of something heavy hitting the ground drew my eyes as I saw a covered body roll away, but the Titan simply ignored it. Watching this made me feel like something was holding my chest and tightening it. I couldn't help but feel helpless despite the burning in my blood to do something…

I just can't…because I can't allow Maria's sacrifice to keep her power a secret to simply get uncovered right now because I couldn't stomach what I was seeing. Another body fell and I just turned my head away from it, however, the sound of the bodies continuing to fall still reached my hears despite the thundering of the horses hooves and the sound of the Titan's footsteps that was following after us…

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Next Time:** Resolve

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	25. Resolve

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Armin standing in front of Eren and Sarah...

Chapter Twenty-Five

Resolve

It was late in the afternoon when we finally reach the Wall.

The sight of Coloneth District in the distance was like a breath of fresh after a long day and despite having simply left it just this morning, it felt like years since I have seen the Gate. The exhaustion of transforming and riding on a horse all day was starting to catch up to me and I couldn't wait to simply get this entire mission over with.

There was a melancholic air among the people that were around me that made me think back to the time when I was back in Trost when I found the Cadets seating on the roof of the building completely hopeless about the situation we had found ourselves in. To feel this exhausted and defeated after just one mission? It made me wonders exactly how does the Scouts managed to do this for years on end? To hang on to what was seemed to be nothing but a pipe dream…

 _How did you do it Uncle Markus,_ I thought thinking about the uncle that I could scarcely remember, Maria and my mother's brother, _How did you keep going mission after mission?_

The sound of the bells ringing from the distance drew me from my thoughts as I glanced forward at the approaching district in front of us and from what I can see, I can tell that the Gates was slowly opening. I let out a small sigh guiding my horse forward following the rest of the people until we reached through the tunnel and into the city.

It was a well-known factor that the Scouts never gained a warm welcome whenever they return from a mission. It was something everybody knew and back at the Capital people treated them like they were a joke most of the time. Common citizens however, are most vocal about it, since they are there on the street whenever the Scouts return from the mission, muttering their dislikes of the Regiment and about what was the point of doing all of these missions if they were going to all end up in failure.

It was my first time feeling the brunt of that dislike first hand thought. I had descended from Souris and was now guiding the animal forward, keeping my gaze forward only not even giving the common folks around us a second glance. Out of sight, out of mind…

Wish I could say the same about their voices thought…like some of them didn't even bother to mutter their voices as they were speaking about us.

"They're a lot fewer than this morning."

"They were all rearing to go…and they're already coming back?"

"Must have been bad one,"

"Our taxes hard at work ladies and gentlemen,"

The sarcasm in that man's tone cause me to tighten my grip upon the horse leash but other than that, I couldn't do much. If only that damn female Titan didn't interfere…if only we knew about what was out there…

 _If only I had helped more…_

No…this wasn't my fault. They were going to have deaths either way regardless if I had helped out or not…however, the muttering around us were rising even more and more becoming angrier and angrier at the Scouts for always failing in their mission and the hundred of lives that were always snuffed out beyond these walls and into Titan territory.

" _Give us some answers goddamn it,"_

" _Was it really worth it? Are all those lives lost?"_

" _You really think what was on their mind when they died that this was for the good of humanity?"_

" _We have a right to know?"_

The crowd had become a mob as they were all yelling at our backs about the cost of each of the mission that the Scouts had made but none of us had any answer to give. What could we say anyway? They were kind of right in a way. Their money are what making these mission possible and with so many failures that the Scouts had faced over the years and with how many soldiers died on this mission thanks to the Female Titan…

I don't think the Scout had been in such a disadvantage for many years.

We left the city behind and returned to headquarters before we were dismissed. I made my way toward the stall so that I could place Souris there. I patted him on the head a few times before placing some food and some water for the horse and then leaving the place behind walking almost like I was in a daze until I returned my room, not speaking to anyone at all.

I removed the cloak as well as the jacket looking at the blood that was upon the sleeves of my clothing. The feeling of the broken arm returned causing me to raise a hand toward my left arm, thought more toward the part were it had been broken however, now all that was just unblemished skin with no sign of any scarring at all. I stared at the spot for a few moments before continuing with my routine of changing my clothing and getting a quick shower in too.

When I was done, I placed fresh clothing upon my form and even despite all of that, I still didn't feel like doing anything at all. With the people's reaction to us, it won't be long before the central government send their representative to us. We promised to deliver results at the courtroom, but the mission had been a massive failure.

Eren is going to be killed because of this failure…but will the Scout allow it? With that Eren represented and what had happened at the forest of Giant Trees, there was no way that they would simply allow Eren to died like that….it just wasn't possible…not when Commander Erwin had done all of this to get us to capture the spy but despite of her escape…

I let out a sigh and decided to step out of the room. I was exhausted, but I couldn't sleep because of all those thoughts running through my mind. I decided to go look for the others, at least, the few that I could find and maybe strike a conversation with them. If I stay alone any longer after everything that had just happened, I wont like were those thoughts take me.

The mess hall was deserted probably that most of the Scouts were getting rested from the mission and I haven't seen anyone when I stepped out in the courtyard either. They were some officers on duty but it was no one that I recognized so I simply left the area completely until my eyes found Armin and Jean together, the two were walking by themselves discussing something from the looks of it and as I was approaching, the two stopped in their conversation and Armin gave a light smile.

"Sarah," he greeted.

"Hey," I answered back, not sure if I should smile or not. After everything that had happened today I don't think I'll be smiling for a long while.

"What were you guys talking about?" I asked, looking curiously at them.

The two exchanged glances.

"Armin here has a theory about the identity of the Female Titan," Jean said.

I blinked in shock, surprised at the young man.

"How?"

"Well, I didn't really have time to think about it while we were out in the fields," Armin said, "But on our way back, I have been going over the encounter in my mind repeatedly…"

"Encounter?" I repeated before realizing what he was saying, "You mean you _fought against her_?"

"Yeah," Jean said drawing my eyes, "Almost lost our lives fighting against her…if Reiner hadn't been there we would have been completely wiped out."

"Reiner did help," Armin admitted.

"Then who is she?"

"I only have some thoughts about it," Armin said simply, "I wanted to organize my thoughts before talking to the Commander. I don't want to throw anyone to the dogs without proof…but, while we were out there, she reacted to something I said…"

I looked at him.

"Something you said?"

"She was about to kill Jean…and I shouted to Jean to not let that suicidal maniac die in vain and she stopped moving all together."

I blinked at him as something clicked in my mind.

"Eren…she reacted to the nickname?"

Armin looked at me, his eyes seemingly hooded with whatever knowledge he has.

"That nickname is something that only someone from the 104th would have known," the blonde said, "Someone that was in our class…Sarah, your mind instantly jumped to Eren without even me saying his name…that would mean whoever she is…"

" _Is also from our class_ ," I whispered, shaking my head, "I had a feeling back when Commander Erwin told us we were going beyond the wall that something was going on but this…"

"You figured it out?"

Armin's tone was curious, and I looked at him.

"I didn't know who she was, but I figured that we had a spy in our midst because of the Female Titan's attack," I said, "It's because of her that the mission failed…that is, if our mission had been to head out to Shingashina right away."

Jean sighed.

"We'll see soon enough," he said, "Listen, I'm going to go and get some rest. After a day like today…"

"Maybe you have the right idea," I told him, "However, the thing is I can't calm my mind down to sleep enough even with how exhausted I feel right now."

Armin was confused.

"How can you be that tired…we barely did anything other than riding horses?"

I feel myself stiffen at the question. Goddamn it, I was supposed to keep my exhaustion secret so that no one will suspect anything. Am I become so comfortable with them that I could let it slip to the group that I am a Titan shifter like Eren is?

 _Maybe it's because I trust them,_ I thought looking at Armin's confused face and Jean puzzled expression, _But it's not enough…not enough to tell them that and not only that…I don't trust the government right now…and I won't let Maria's sacrifice go to waste._

"Armin…, I had to watch too many people die today," I told him, "It's not like Trost when we were not ready to face the Titans…this is what we chose to become and yet…after just one mission, I'm completely worn out."

I leaned against the wall.

"Makes me wonder if I had the mentality to continue with the Scouts," I murmured softly.

"Then…where were you positioned?" Jean asked.

I give him a glance.

"The Right Wing," I answered, "I was with the spotter when the swarm of Titans…"

I trailed off remembering being thrown off from Souris and my arm breaking. Subconsciously, I raised an arm toward my left one touching the spot where I had broken it and the bone had pierced out of the skin. It looked completely normal now but that was the only reason as to why they had been blood upon my jacket.

"Still doesn't know how I am still alive thought," I whispered softly.

"I heard everyone died from that side, for you to survive it you were lucky," Armin said, softly.

I gave the boy a look and let out a small laugh.

"A strange kind of luck," I answered him, "Say…where is Mikasa? I hadn't seen her around here."

"She is with Eren," Armin said, "He is still resting from his transformation. I'm guessing it takes it toll upon the person to transform into a Titan…"

He trailed off to think but I didn't think much of it at all, however I let out a small hum. The sun had long since set and the stars were slowly starting to appear one after the other as I was looking up toward them with a light frown upon my features. I knew that most of the people in the Scouts were getting rest right now from the expedition.

"There you guys are," a familiar voice said.

It was Connie and Sasha and the duo were running toward us.

"What's the matter with you two?" Jean asked, a frown upon his face.

"Someone from the Capital came by earlier," Connie said, "They sent a message to the Commander."

"A message?"

"They have three days to return Eren Yeager to the Central Government," Sasha said, "Their custody of Eren has come to an end."

I feel my eyes widen lightly at this.

"Oh no," Armin said shocked.

"I think it's best if you talk to the Commander about your suspicions Armin," Jean told him.

The blond boy nodded before walking off, thought he gave me a strange look before he fully left. I stared at his back, confused at the glance but I didn't say anything at all. I let out a sigh again, knowing that things are going to be changing once again.

"Say, do you know where Mikasa is?" I asked Connie.

"I think she is still with Eren right?" the short young man said, "I don't think she knows about this yet…"

"I'll tell her…so where is Eren?"

"I think I saw them put him in a room back there," Sasha said, "If he is resting, he should still be in there."

I gave her a slight nod of thanks before making my way where she had told us to go. I made my way toward the direction of the room and blinked finding Mikasa stepping outside of the room not too far away from where I was. As I was approaching, Mikasa instantly looked up at me.

"Sarah?" she said.

"How's Eren?" I asked her coming to a stand in front of her.

"He is fine," she answered, "Sleeping off the exhaustion but he should be up and about tomorrow…is that why you came here?"

"No," I told her crossing my arms, "Was a little worried about you as well since I didn't see you since we came back… but it seems that you were alright after all."

Mikasa stayed silent for a moment, almost like she was thinking about something.

"Sarah…do you…," she started but then cut herself off shaking her head, "No it's nothing. I'm probably just imagining it."

I approached the girl placing a hand upon her shoulder.

"Is everything alright Mikasa?" I asked her, truly worried about her.

She gave me a brief nod.

"I'm…" she started, "It's just been a long day. Probably too tired from the looks of it. I might just go to sleep and get some rest too…how about you? You look like you're about to pass out where you're standing."

I gave out a low chuckle.

"Is it that noticeable?"

Mikasa only nodded, blunt as always.

"I might get some rest too…but the reason why I came here has something to do with Eren thought," I told her, keeping those dark eyes upon me, "I know you'll probably heard about it tomorrow, but the Central government had revoked the Scout's custody of Eren."

Mikasa narrowed her eyes as she looked down toward the ground.

"They didn't waste any time, did they?" she murmured softly but I heard every word.

I removed my hand from her shoulder, realizing that I still had it up there and Mikasa didn't shrug it off. She was pretty distant to most of the group however, she didn't push me off so I guess since we're friends, it might be okay.

"No…no they didn't," I said simply, "But we still have time Mikasa…I don't think Commander Erwin would let Eren died after what happened during the Expedition."

Mikasa reacted at that but she nodded all the same.

"But for now, lets get some rest," I told her.

* * *

Three days later, found me and a few of the Scouts preparing our horses. Commander Erwin had come and told us that since not all of where needed to go to the capital, the rest of us will retreat to the interior of Wall Rose into the Scout building we're we'll be on stand by. Most Squad Leader Hange's squad as well as Erwin along with Levi were all going to the Interior with Eren along with Armin and Mikasa and Jean while the rest of us where staying behind.

I turned my attention away from Souris taking notice of Eren walking alongside Armin and Mikasa. The trio were wearing cloaks upon their bodies and I quickly made my way toward them drawing Eren's attention. The boy seemed to be a little pale and given the situation, I don't blame him for being like that.

"Sarah," he greeted me, "You're not going with us."

I shook my head.

"No," I told him, "I wasn't chosen as a member of the escort mission that'll be going with us."

"That's strange," Eren said, "I wonder why. You're pretty skilled with an ODM…"

"Eren," Mikasa said, "Remember Commander Erwin's words."

The boy fell silent at that. I glanced at the duo for a few moments before something clicked in my mind.

"You know who she is…don't you?" I said.

Eren and Mikasa instantly looked at me and Armin seems to stiffen lightly. From their reaction, that might as well have been an answer. Armin made to open his mouth but I instantly raised my hand.

"No…it's best you don't tell me," I said to him before glancing at Eren, "You'll tell me next time we meet. However, are you okay being used as bait again for whoever she is?"

"It's either that or Eren will be killed," Armin spoke out.

"Eren?" I asked.

The boy glanced at me.

"I agreed to it," he said, "It's the only way that will work."

I let out a small sigh.

"Alright, if you're sure," I told him, "But be careful okay, to all of you. I don't want to see someone else I know die."

The trio nodded at me and I smiled a little.

"C'mon let's get a move on," a voice spoke out, it was Hange and the woman was fully geared up.

"Right," Eren said, "See you soon."

With that the three of them left and I stood there looking at their turned back.

 _Be careful…Mikasa._

* * *

 **The group separate...**

 **Next Time:** Invasion.

 **Yay now we're done with Season One stuff and now let's move on to Season Two.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	26. Invasion

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far and now we are in SEASON TWO territory.**

 **Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover :** Sarah on the ground on a horse as multiple Titans were reaching down toward her.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Invasion

I was bored.

There was no other way of saying it.

With the main people of the Scout Regiment out toward the interior with Eren along with Mikasa and Armin, the rest of us where staying in an old Scout building on stand by. It wasn't uncommon for soldier to be on stand by when there is nothing going on, however, we were not given any order and were told to stay in our civilian clothes despite the hot sun that was shining down form the sky out of the window.

The mess hall was filled with the rest of the new recruits that were with us and I was seating in the room looking out toward the window at the empty lands in front of me. My attention was drawn toward a blonde woman who was on the rooftops dressed in her uniform. I stared at the woman, recognizing her as Nanaba, one of our superiors in charge of us here. She had only introduced herself when we arrived here some hours ago along with the other leader that was given command over us, Miche, one of the tallest men I have ever seen.

Letting out a soft hum, I turned my gaze toward the room that I was in with the rest of the group. They were little conversation going on around us as most of the Cadets were simply bored out of their mind given that we were not allowed to train and there was even some that were lying down upon the table they were seating on and sleeping and even I was starting to feel the boredom of the situation we were in right now. If I had known that this was going to be what we are going to do then I would have asked Eren and the guys if I could come as well.

Thinking about the group, however, it made me think about the real reason Eren was going to the Interior of Wall Sina and being used as bait again for that Female Titan that I fought in the forest. From the way the trio had reacted when I brought it up, they had figured out who she was but then again, Armin seems to have been the one who figured out who that Female Titan really was.

And that she was part of our class.

 _Considering the carnage she created during her entire attack while we were outside the Walls, I would say that she is in league with the Colossal and Armored Titan as well._

It was a grim way of thinking, and we have three spies within the Walls rather than just simply two then I first thought but then again, I had only thought that my Titan along with the Colossal and Armored were the only ones that existed but then Eren revealed that he could transform and then the Female Titan appeared…

 _Just how many of us are they out there hiding in plain sight?_

I let out a sigh again, glancing out toward the window again taking notice of the soldiers out there. I stared at them, wondering as to why we were told to be staying in only our civilian clothing. While I can understand that we were still recovering from the Expedition but that was no reason to ground all of us rookies into a single room just for that.

There was something going on and I didn't like being in the dark. Letting out a soft hum I turned my attention toward the flute case that was on the table beside my arm. I had taken it earlier so that I could play some notes mainly to pass the time, but the boredom had taken the winds out of the sails of that idea.

It's not like playing the flute is going to cure my boredom.

"That was a pretty big sigh," a familiar voice told me.

I turned my gaze toward it finding Berthold there along with Reiner.

"Hey guys," I said, taking notice of the bag that Bert had under his arm, "What you've got there?"

"A gameboard," Berthold said, "Given the situation…I think it would be a good way to past the time…want to join us?"

I chuckled.

"Well, it's not like I have anything better to do," I told him, "I'm game."

"Sure, let's seat around here," Reiner said, "Sasha and Connie are at an empty table over there."

I stood up joining the two boys making my way toward where Connie and Sasha were. The two clowns of the 104th were feeling the boredom of the situation as well as they were glazed in the eyes from where they were seating and Connie didn't even glanced at us as we all took a seat around where they were. Berthold opened the bag and pulled out the boardgame from within it as well as the pieces.

"Huh?" Reiner said, "Chess eh…?"

"Armin would probably love this," I said, "Never played any before."

Berthold had placed the pieces in position and Reiner was across him.

"I'll have first game," he said, "That should give you an idea of how to play."

I nodded at him and the two started on their game.

"I never knew you played," I told the blonde guy.

Reiner laughed.

"Yeah, not something that I like to brag about," he said, "But it keeps my mind sharp about making decisions on the field."

"So you're using chess as a way to simulate situations?" I asked frowning lightly.

"Yep," Reiner said, "At least that way, when I lost a pawn in chess, it's not the lives of our fellow soldiers."

I looked at the duo that were playing chess and I paid attention to the game they were playing. It was still better than just simply seating within this hall being bored out of my mind about whatever was happening in the forest.

"Sarah, something I wanted to ask you," Berthold said after a few moments of silence drawing my eyes toward him, "Where did you go after the retreat signal?"

I gave the young man a confused glance.

"Back at the Forest of Giant trees," he asked, "We were given the retreat and yet before any of us realize it, you weren't there anymore. If Ymir hadn't pointed it out, we would have never seen you go."

I stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about how I am going to answer this question. I decided on a half true looking up at him.

"Have you ever had the feeling in your chest that something was horribly wrong?" I asked him.

Berthold gave a light nod.

"Then…that's what I felt back then," I answered him, "We were given the retreat signal, however, I just had this feeling that it wasn't over so I went inside to try to meet up with Levi squad."

"Levi squad?" Reiner asked surprised, "Why is that?"

"The Female Titan…was after Eren. I thought I could land a hand or warn them of the danger…but I was too late to do anything."

Reiner stayed silent for a moment, almost like he was thinking.

"Armin said the same thing," he said.

I gave him a glance.

"You and Jean fought against the Female Titan right?" I told him, "Armin mentioned it."

Reiner nodded.

"Yeah, near damn lost my life when she caught me," he said, "Not going to try that again anytime soon that's for sure. We lost many soldiers about there and the situation with Eren is not helping us either."

"Commander Erwin won't give up Eren that easily," I told him as we focused upon the game again, "Not when there is finally a goal at the end that long tunnel the Survey Corps have been dying for so long."

Berthold added his own two cent.

"You really think so?"

I gave him a light grin.

The two continued their game and it was Reiner who defeated Berthold and I was surprised at his skills. When I was the one who went up against him however, he trashed me since I didn't really play boardgame at all when I was younger. All of my time were given to the flute lessons that my mother wanted me to learn.

Berthold and Reiner were playing again, and I placed my shoulder upon the table, holding my face with my palms.

"God, I am so bored," I moaned, "Connie, Sasha, tell me a joke or something. I want to laugh."

"I'm too bored to even think of one right now," Connie told me.

"I'm too bored to think of anything," Sasha mumbled looking like she was about to fall asleep with how bored she looked.

Connie stayed silent for moment.

"You know…my village happens to be quite close to where we are now," he said, "Just a little South of here."

"My village is somewhere close by too," the brunette mumbled, "Hey Sarah, you live anywhere close to here?"

I chuckled.

"No," was my answer.

"Why can't I go see my people?" Connie asked out loud, "Maybe I should sneak out after dark."

"My people told me to not bother coming back till I'm normal so…," Sasha shrugged.

"I don't think you'll ever be normal Potato girl," I told her.

Sasha let out a groan.

"Can you please let me forget about this nickname?"

I chuckled at her pouting face.

"Connie, if you want to go, I'll help you out."

My head snapped so fast toward Reiner that I swore I pulled muscle. I stared at him shocked at the suggestion that the soldier bound guy was going to break the rules. Thought I was still confused as to what we were all stuck here.

"Why would you want to do that?" Connie asked.

Reiner gave him a stern look.

"Don't you think that all of this is a bit strange?" he asked, "We're on standby in our plain clothes. They won't let us train or wear our uniforms. Hell, we can't even do a simple training exercises and what's even more strange, is that our superiors are armed to the teeth."

It was a strange notion, but we were on standby no matter how weird the orders were. Given that the guy who was looking over us was Commander Erwin's right-hand man, beside Captain Levi, I was wondering if maybe keeping us here isn't part of another bigger plan.

"We're inside the Walls, not the front lines," Reiner continued giving us a glance, "So who are we fighting against?"

 _Given how much the Commander had been planning since our recruitment drive…I won't put it pass him to not try anything else…however, what is he looking for I wonder?_

"Maybe they're worried about bears?" Connie suggested.

"Yeah…bears," Sasha agreed half-heartedly.

I couldn't help the light snort that escaped my lips as Reiner crossed his arms.

"The one thing you need for bears are guns," he said simply.

"Well maybe when the Commander get back from the Capital with the rest, we'll get a better idea of what's going on," I said with a light shrug.

From beside me, Sasha had let her head slumped down against the table looking like she was about to fall asleep. I gave her the curious glance before refocusing my attention upon the flute case I had in my hand. I was thinking about how the others were doing now that they left with Eren…

Suddenly Sasha pulled herself to her feet, a shocked expression crossing her features. Then she looked at us, her voice having a light tremble.

"Hum…guys, I think I'm hearing footsteps," she called out.

The conversations that were going around us stalled as everyone's attention was drawn toward Sasha's exclamation. I stared at the girl, completely taken aback by what she had just said feeling a sudden apprehension falling upon me.

 _Footsteps…but that's impossible…_

Reiner seems to be on the same wavelength as me as he addressed the girl.

"Knock it off Sasha," he said, "What you're trying to tell us Titans are here? C'mon, that'll be only possible if Wall Rose has fallen."

"Yeah…there is no way that could have happened," I added hoping against hope that Sasha was just joking around, "Don't scare us like that."

But the girl was adamant.

"Look, guys I swear I heard something," she argued.

Suddenly a shadow appeared by the window and it was thrown open. The blonde Scout lady I saw earlier had landed there by using her ODM gear and the look on her face was pale and yet there was this urgency in her tone as he addressed all of us.

"Is everyone here?" she asked, looking at all of us.

"What's wrong Nanaba?" Krista asked, her tone worried.

"We've got company," Nanaba said, "Approximately five hundred meters to the South and closing, Titans are heading this way. There is no time to suit up with your ODM gears, I want everyone on a horse stat. Evacuate every settlement and holds in the area. _Get to it."_

I can feel my eyes widening in shock at this.

 _Titans…here inside Wall Rose?_ I thought shocked, _Is it the Colossal Titan attacking again…did one of the Outer District fall…_

"From the South…?" Connie whispered, shocked, "But that's…"

"Do we know the Wall's been breached?" Reiner asked Berthold from behind me.

Nanaba then turned away.

"Ride, I'm afraid lunch is going to have to wait," she said before jumping away from the window and toward the building across us with her gear.

That was the order as everyone started to run out of the room and heading out toward the stairs. Clutching upon my flute case, I made to follow them, feeling my heart pounding inside my chest. There was no way a situation like what happened at Trost a month ago could have happened again.

There is no way that something that terrible could have happened again would it?

I pushed it out of my mind as I reached outside the hot sun shining down from the clear sky which had few clouds dancing upon it. I didn't mind it at all as I ran straight for where Souris was, wasting no time to place a saddle upon the horse. The animal let out a few huffs almost like he was nervous as well but I pulled him out of the stall as a Scout member landed down in front of us.

It was the man that was placed in charge of us Miche and his horse was already prep and ready to go as Nanaba also landed down on the ground.

"Quickly," he said, "Everyone on a horse, and we ride out of here now."

I climbed on Souris placing the flute box into one of the pockets that were on the saddle before riding out with the few superior members that were with us, leaving the building behind completely. The wind danced through my clothing and since I didn't have my hair in a ponytail, all of it was flying around my face but I barely paid it any attention at all as we were all riding on the trail that was leading out of where we were stationed.

I turned my head looking at the direction that the Titans were coming from and even in the distance I recognized the tall humanoid forms of the lumbering figures that they were. I couldn't help the shiver that ran through me as the reality that I didn't want to happen was happening.

 _The Wall…has it really fallen?_

"When the Titans reach the woods," Miche bellowed somewhere in front of me, "I want you to spread into four separate teams, recruits and soldiers alike. When I gave the signal, you will spread out and warn nearby settlements. Get the words out to the civilians and _Do not engage the enemy."_

I turned my face forward, the implication of the severity of the situation falling upon me. Could we use the same tactics as before to seal the Wall again? From the South…there was no district there, at least as far as I knew…however, could it be, instead of attacking a district this time, they just destroyed a part of the wall itself…

"As you have guessed," Nanaba announced, "Today mark the darkest chapter in humanity's history. Look sharp for if there was ever a time to give our all, that time is now. _Don't lose heart."_

I narrowed my eyes, tightening my grip upon the horse's reigns.

 _She is right,_ I thought, _Can't allow my thoughts to run wild…I got to focus and do my job and warn as many people as I can._

"Titans have reached the forest," a voice yelled out drawing my eyes toward where the Titans were and sure enough, the small forest that was behind the building we were in I could see the Titan's head and their forms from within the trees.

"Scatter now," Miche bellowed, " _Ride for everything you've worth_."

The group scattered all of them choosing a direction as I made to follow the team that comprised of Krista, Ymir and Nanaba. I followed them riding Souris hard to keep up with their horses. I chanced a glance the direction that the others were riding catching sight of Connie along with Reiner and Berthold and there was even Sasha galloping away from where we were…

 _Be careful…okay guys…_

We rode hard through the forest and the trees aiming straight at where the nearest villages were and it was starting to move quickly as well and after an hour of riding, we reached the first place. They were people moving on about as we were riding hard and then Nanaba pulled her horse to a halt along with all of us. The people stared at us curiously probably wondering why we were in such a hurry on what was seemed to be a peaceful day.

"Evacuate this village immediately," Nanaba called out, "Titans have been sighted within Wall Rose. Make sure the words get sent out to the nearby villages."

The fear that quickly etched upon the people's face was starting as everyone started to run and heading out toward their stable so that they could grab their horses. I stared at the panic I was seeing for a few moments as we were riding through the place leaving it behind and then we were separated from Nanaba and Krista along with Ymir as I took another route with the Scout member that was with me so that we could warn more people of the danger that had presented itself.

"Be careful Sarah," Krista had called out to me.

"You watch out for yourself to," I smiled at her before following the man both of us riding out through the path that lead further North.

It was a quiet ride safe for the sound of the hooves and my own hard breathing. I was focused now on simply doing my job, warning as many people as we can so that we could save as many as we could…thought if the Wall had really fallen, then even with our efforts, how many people were going to perish this time.

The last time a disaster like that happened, more than 10,000 people perished and that was followed by the Wall Maria Recovery Operation who even more people were slaughtered…

 _If Wall Rose fell, the territory within Wall Sina wouldn't support half of the citizen living now today…_

The words from Pixis speech at the battle of Trost returned to my mind. If the Wall had truly fallen then, more than half of the people alive now are going to perish.

I blinked out of my thoughts as I found another village in the distance. I urged my horse forward once more aiming straight for it however my attention was drawn by the sight of what remained of a mansion seating upon a slight hill in the distance. I stared at the place and it looked like it was covered in vines and long abandoned however something within me reacted at the sight of the mansion…

 _This place looks…familiar. Have I been here before?_

I shook my head turning my attention toward the village finding an older man there.

"Listen, you have to ride out now," I called out to him, "Titans have been sighted South of here, you need to evacuate this village immediately and head for the safety of Wall Sina. This is not a drill."

"Are you certain of this girl?" the older man asked, "Titans…?"

"I'm certain," I told him staring down at the man, "Evacuate the village right now."

The man seems frightened, but he did what I asked, and he went out to try to help his people. However, I found my gaze returning to that old mansion in the distance. I don't know why this place seems to familiar but part of me seems to recognize it somehow…how could something like that be possible, I had no idea, but I didn't have time to ponder it for I needed to keep moving and warn the rest of the settlements within the walls.

"C'mon Souris," I said, spurring the horse forward.

The horse followed my guidance and soon enough I was galloping away from the strangely familiar mansion, eager to continue the mission I have been given.

* * *

 **A sudden invasion of Titans...a mysterious mansion who sprung some strange familiarity within Sarah...**

 **Next Time:** Suspicions.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	27. Suspicions

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update of this fanfic.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A small flower dancing in the wind.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Suspicions

 **7 hours after Titan Sighting**

 _Something feels…off._

I had pulled my horse forward riding through the empty forest as I was heading back toward where the Scout member told me to meet him. With this much time and given that the Wall had fallen, I had expected to see more Titans than the few I had seen hours ago back then, however, there has been no sign of anything at all. It was a big contrast to how things were when the Colossal Titan kicked down the gate in Trost back then. The city had been overwhelmed by Titans in what seems to be hours and yet, I knew the territory between Wall Rose is big but, I should have seen a Titan by now or at least heard them walking around in a group but so far…

 _Nothing at all._

Something in front of me drew my attention and I found that it was the Scout member that I was with before. The man glanced at me and raised a hand noticing me approaching.

"Well, how was it?" he asked, when I came to a stop beside him.

"I spread the words to most of the region round here," I told him, "Most of the people will be heading toward Sina by now and there has been no Titan sighting since this morning."

The man had a light frown upon his face at the mentions of the Titans, but he didn't say anything as he only briskly nodded.

"Fine, let's join Nanaba and her team," he said.

"Yes sir," I answered him.

He rode out in front of me and I followed him. It was a quiet ride the only sound that I could hear were the sounds of the hooves, the heavy breathing of the horses and the wind whistling through my clothing and hair. I remained quiet throughout it all, mulling what was happening over my mind. While I didn't fully understand what was going but just as before, there was something in the back of my mind, a little thought that was telling me that there was something off about this entire situation.

 _C'mon Sarah, think about it. If the Wall had really fallen then they should have been more Titans sighting than the few I saw coming from the South…if it was a district that was attacked, then we should have heard words of it hours ago…but there has been nothing at all._

I narrowed my eyes lightly.

 _Could it be…that this attack wasn't caused by the Colossal Titan…_

"Heads up rookie," the man suddenly spoke out drawing my eyes toward him, "Here come Nanaba and her team."

Snapping out of my thoughts, I glanced forward finding a familiar blonde woman along with Ymir and Krista. The two looked windswept but they were alive at least that was good and it relieved some of the worries I had about them. Nanaba, had slowed her horse down to a stop as the two Scouts spoke to each other and then I looked at my two classmates.

"You guys alright?" I asked them concern in my tone.

"We're fine," Krista smiled, looking a little tired, "I'm glad that you managed to stay safe Sarah."

"Ass hurt like a bitch but other than that, we're fine," Ymir told me.

I let out a snort.

"Good to know that your sense of humor haven't suffered Ymir…say there is something I wanted to ask you two. Have you seen any Titans since this morning?"

Ymir seems to think about as well as Krista.

"Now that you mention it…," Ymir murmured, "I don't think we did."

I let out a soft hum.

"If the Wall had really fallen…they should have been more right now," I said.

Krista glanced at me, "You don't think the Wall had been breached?"

I shrugged.

"I'm just trying to piece everything together," I told her, "I hate being left in the dark when something this big is happening."

"You won't have to wait long," a voice spoke out.

Nanaba and the other Scout had finished talking as the three of us turned toward her.

"We're heading South to find the breach," she said, "And you are all coming along as well."

"You do realize that none of us have our gears, right?" Ymir argued, "Let me and Krista retreat…"

"I can't do that," Nanaba answered giving her a stern look, "When we find the breach I'm going to need messengers to send out so others could be warned. The sooner we find that Breach, the sooner we can find a way to close it if we can."

I nodded lightly at her.

"Ride now out," Nanaba said before driving her horse forward and we all thundered after her.

I keep a glance toward the sky noticing that the sky had started to turn scarlet as the sun continued to lower down. It was going to be night soon and finding that breach just become a priority number one.

 _If there is even one at all._

* * *

The silence was heavy.

I held my torch in my hand which provided some light but not nearly enough as we rode beside Wall Rose. Night had fallen some time ago and so far, all that we have been doing is slowly making our way beside the massive Wall which towered high above us, swallowed up the darkness around us. I changed a glance toward Krista and noticed that she was pale in the face as she held on the reigns of her horse in a death grip, knuckles white.

Ymir was behind the two of us with her own torches as both Nanaba and her Scout friend was in front of us, thought I could tell that the tension was thick with fear as well as nervousness. The breach that was hanging all over us right now as well as the knowledge that there was Titans inside Wall Rose. That was what was in front of everyone's mind right now.

 _We've been at this for hours and we have yet to find any type of breach at all,_ I thought, _There is hardly any Titans sighted so far, something that is highly unusual given the situation…but that doesn't explain why there were Titans inside the Walls territory in the first place…_

Suddenly light appeared the distance and I looked up toward it feeling myself tense lightly at the sight of the approaching lights. I counted five of them and then as the lights were growing closer, so was the sound of hooves and then another member of the Scout appeared along with other group…

I feel my eyes widen lightly as I recognized Connie, Reiner and Berthold who looked surprised to see us just as we were surprised to see them.

The two groups stared at one another, as surprise and confusion appeared upon Nanaba's features.

"So…you followed the Wall too I take it?" the man in the lead asked, looking at Nanaba.

"That's right," Nanaba answered, "I assume you found the Breach then?"

A shocked expression appeared upon the team across as the man was completely baffled by the question. Nanaba continued her inquiry.

"We didn't see any irregularity in the Wall along the western route," she said, her tone urgent yet baffled at the same time, "Surely…you must have seen something in the east?"

"No," the man whispered and yet in the silence around us I could hear him perfectly, "The Wall's completely intact."

 _The Wall's completely intact._

These words seems to echo in my mind as I stared at the people around me. Could it be that the theory within my head was…actually right. But if the Wall is completely intact on both eastern and western roads…then…

"Maybe we've overlooked it?"

"We're talking about a hole large enough for Titans to slip through," the Scout member that was with me most of today spoke, "Not likely."

"I suggest we have another pass then," the man said.

"That goes without saying but the horses are exhausted," Nanaba said, "And we're not that far behind either…if only we had more light, we could gain an advantage."

As she was speaking, moonlight pierced through from above us revealing the full moon as it light shone down giving us a full view of the lands that was around us. I glanced around looking at the Wall that was beside us, and it looked completely intact as far as I could see from where I was.

"What's that?"

The man was looking inward the land toward a structure that seems to tower above the forest that was around it. It seemed to be two towers that stood side by side. It seems to be a old castle of some kind from what I can see.

"Let's investigate," Nanaba said, "Could a place that we might rest for the night."

The group nodded at us and we all rode together aiming straight toward the castle which was mostly a ruin now that I had a good look at it. It was completely abandoned from what I can see and there was no sign that it had been habituated by people for a long while.

One of it's walls was crumbling with a large opening in the middle of it and the ground was littered with weeds that had overgrown the stone floor. We reached the courtyard looking around at the place for a few moments.

"Not an ideal place to sleep," the guy leading Connie's team spoke out, "However, it'll do for one night."

Nanaba got down from her horse and gave us a glance.

"Let's put the horses here," she said, "We will investigate inside this place to see if we could find anything to have a fire going."

I jumped down from the horse I was on and Souris had his head down toward the ground as he was already eating at the weeds on the ground. I pulled him forward toward where Connie and Berthold were tying their horses.

"You guys okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah," Reiner said, "It's been a long day that's all."

Understatement of the year Reiner. Connie, however didn't seem to have heard me at all for he only tied his horse and moved off somewhere almost like he was in shock or something. I stared at his back confusedly for a moment before glancing at the two boys beside me.

"Something happened?"

"His hometown," Berthold said, "It was completely destroyed."

 _Shit._

I felt sympathy for Connie now. While him and Sasha were usually the class clowns of the 104th, I didn't want anything like that to ever happened to him at all. Patting my horse on the side of his neck, I pulled out the flute case from the pocket that was around the saddle before following after them completely silent.

"Hey Sarah, Bert come help me with this," Reiner said, "Got some water here for the horses. That should be good enough for them."

"Okay sure," I told him, glad to be doing anything to take my mind off what had happened to Connie.

With some buckets, Reiner, Bert and I filled the canal in front of the horses with water and in no time at all, all of them were greedily drinking from it. I placed the bucket upon the ground looking at the direction of where the two towers stretched high above us. I made my way toward the door and came to a stop when I noticed an old weather-beaten sign. I made my way toward it and read the words that were upon it.

UTGARD CASTLE

"Utgard Castle," I murmured.

"I'm dead tired," Reiner said with a light yawn, "We best get inside and get some rest. I don't think we will need to worry about the horses anymore."

I glanced at him.

"They'll probably be more well off than we are," I smirked lightly holding my flute in my hand.

"You brought that?"

"It was in my hand when they told us to hurry," I told him, "I wasn't going to leave it behind…beside it's not like it's bothering anyone if I have it."

We reached the rest of the group that were all seating around a fire. When we entered, I noticed many crates around the room. I was honestly expecting it to be completely empty of anything valuable at all, but it would seem that there was still some value left in this place.

"Those are some contraband stuff," I said shocked.

"Bandits probably used this as a hide out," Krista told me as she took a seat upon the ground, upon a blanket.

I seated down beside her.

"Maybe," I murmured softly, the memory of the old mansion coming back to me.

Krista glanced at me, a curious look in her eyes but before she could say anything the door in the room opened and the Scout that was with Connie entered the room holding up a bottle.

"Check this out," he said, "Look at what I found."

"You're kidding, is that what I think it is?"

"Yep," he said, "Can't read the label thought…"

"You're going to drink it now?"

"Don't be ridiculous," he said, "I'm saving it for later."

"They are worst way to spend the night then having access to top shelf contraband," the Scout that was with me for most of the day said.

"You're starting to sound like a criminal," Nanaba told me and the two shared a chuckle.

The one with the alcohol looked at us.

"I want you kids to try to get some rest," he said, "There shouldn't be any Titans crawling around at this rate however, we'll take turn keeping watch. Be ready to leave four hours shy of daybreak."

"Excuse me," Krista asked, "What if Wall Rose wasn't compromised. Where do…huh…where do you think all of those Titans came from?"

The man gave her a stern glance for a moment but he simply walked away heading for the stairs.

"It's our job to find out," he said, "Starting tomorrow."

With those parting words, he left us behind probably to go and keep watch for the night. I let out a soft hum.

"The situation isn't good sure," Krista continued, "But could it be as bad as we think…I mean, you never know right…"

"Krista isn't wrong," I said drawing eyes toward me, "Something about this entire thing…just feel off."

"The girls are right," The man that was with me said, "We didn't see that many Titans…For the wall to have been busted at least."

"Only the handful that we've seen," Nanaba added as she was musing it over, "At the start of all of this."

There was silence once more as we were all thinking about the situation now. They were too few Titans within the Wall for it to have been destroyed compared to what happened in Trost District the last time the Titans destroyed the Wall.

"Connie, what about your village?" Ymir asked.

"Totally destroyed," Connie answered, "it was crushed to bits."

Ymir for the first time since I've known her looked apologetic.

"I'm sorry…"

"No it's alright," Connie said, "Nobody got devoured thought. It looked they all got out so there is a silver lining at least."

I frowned confused at that.

"I thought you said that it was destroyed?" Ymir asked him, confused as well.

"Well the houses and stuff were," Connie explained, "But the people themselves must have escaped…I mean, they have to had to but the thing is…we didn't find any blood at all not a single drop."

 _That's impossible,_ I thought.

"But why would Titans attack an empty village?" I asked surprised.

Connie shrugged his shoulders.

"Your guess is as good as mine," he told me, "But… something I can't get out of my head thought…there was this Titan lying upon my house just staring at me…it couldn't move on it's own…and yet, when I looked at it…it reminded me of my mom… _am I crazy?"_

I stared at Connie, a tense feeling coiling in my gut.

"Connie," Reiner told him, "I told you, it was your imagina…"

Suddenly Ymir exploded into laughter.

" _You think your Mom was a Titan?"_ she said, "Oh man, I always knew you were dumber than a bag of bricks but this totally takes the cake. I mean, if dear old mom is a Titan then that would also mean Daddy is one as well…"

"Oh haha," Connie said, "I guess I was just asking for it."

"C'mon," Ymir urged, "Don't you want to know how they…"

"SHUT UP AND GO TO SLEEP," Connie yelled at her.

"I think you all need to go to sleep," Nanaba spoke out.

I let out a soft sigh leaning against the wall behind me and closing my eyes. I knew that I couldn't go to sleep at all. What Connie said about his mother struck a cord within me and yet, I couldn't really remember as to why it happened thought as I was thinking the old mansion struck in my mind again.

 _Just what was that place?_ I thought to myself, _And why does it feel so familiar…_

* * *

 **NO POV**

 **Ehmrich District**

Mikasa Ackerman was with Eren and Armin as the group was joined in a room with Hange and the rest of the Scout. She didn't really understand why a meeting like that was called in the first-place thought, it must have had something to do with what Armin wanted to discuss with Hange earlier today. The woman was standing in front of them looking at a folder in her hand. She had a light frown upon her features as she was reading what was in front of her.

"Section Commander Hange," Eren said, "You wanted to talk to us."

Hange looked up at them.

"Yes," she said, "I had something I needed to discuss with the three of you…something about that girl that you're friend with…" she looked down at the folder, "The girl called Sarah Gray."

Mikasa feel herself tense lightly at Sarah's name. Just a few minutes ago they were all given information about Reiner and Berthold, two people that Mikasa would have never thought to be enemies and yet, they had been deceiving all of them for so long and for Sarah's name to come up now and made the girl feel as thought she was frozen in shock.

"What about Sarah?" Eren asked.

Hange looked at them.

"Is there anything you can tell me about her?" she asked, "Did she ever say where she was from?"

"She said she was born in the capital," Mikasa said, "But was in Shingashina when the Wall fell five years ago."

"Why are you asking us about her?" Eren asked, "She is not a traitor is she?"

"I'm not quite sure what she is," Hange said, "After the expedition I had her record pulled to learn about her. However, like Reiner she was one of the Cadets given false information about Eren's position. She was also taken place in the Right Wing, the same area that the Female Titan attacked…however, as we all know, everyone in that position were slaughtered by a group of Titan we theorized Annie led through however, strangely enough, she was the only one who survived it."

Hange looked up toward them.

"I had called a few favors from the capital to try to find if she had family given her age, however, the only Gray family in the capital had a son who is only four years old right now."

Armin looked at her.

"Does that have anything with what Pastor Nick said about her?" he asked.

"He called her the one with the golden eyes," Eren said, remembering the Wallist priest telling them about Krista, "Sarah is the only one in our class that have eye colors like that."

 _You must find her with all haste. She is the Key and she may know things that we understand poorly…however, I must give you a warning. Beware the one with the golden eyes, if she is related to_ that family _she may very well snuff out your only hope._

Hange looked at them.

"I know you are all under duress after what you've just learned about Reiner and Berthold," she told them, "However I want you all to be prepared. Whoever that girl Sarah Gray is, she is not what she seems and it would seem she has her own agenda for joining the Surveys Corps…whatever that is."

Mikasa find herself thinking back to every moment she has with Sarah. She remembers the first time she met Sarah, saving her from a fall and carrying the smaller girl in her arms…she remembers talking with her…and becoming friends with her…she remembers when the girl punched her in the face in Trost…how she stood side by side with Eren….how she spoke out against Eren's death…

 _The Gray Titan stared at her, it's familiar eyes staring straight into her own…_

 _How the Gray Titan is bad at hand to hand combat….something that was the same for Sarah…and how some of it's stance were textbook hand to hand from boot camp…_

" _If anyone else revealed themselves to be the same as Eren, wouldn't you have thought them traitors?"_

" _Eren…are you okay being used as bait again?"_

" _You know who she is…don't you?"_

Mikasa's mind was thinking back to the battle in the forest between the two Female Titans remembering the Gray's Titan face with its long hair falling down upon it's shoulder…

 _She really looks…_

"…kasa, Mikasa," a voice was calling her name.

The dark-haired girl snapped out of her thoughts. She looked up at Hange, feeling the shock of her discovery running through her. Eren and Armin were looking at her confused and yet there was concern in their eyes.

"You were lost in thoughts," Hange said, "Is everything alright?"

"I…I think Sarah is the Gray Titan," Mikasa whispered.

Everyone stared at her in shock.

"What?" Eren said shocked.

"How did you…?"

"In the forest," Mikasa said, thinking back, "She faced Annie in hand to hand combat. Since I sometimes trained with Sarah, I know how bad she is at hand to hand combat…it's one of the reasons why she didn't get a spot in the top ten and the moves the Gray Titan did…it looked exactly like Sarah's…"

Armin seems to be silent as well.

"I…thought that it was strange," he said drawing their attentions toward him, "Sarah complained about being completely exhausted after the expedition. Probably lost of energy after a transformation and then…back in Trost, she asked me specifically for the type of flare I've decided to use for the Plug the Wall with Eren's titan, something Commander Pixis surely would have told everyone but she left quickly after and despite she told me she would be part of a squad…she didn't seem to be part of any of them."

Hange stayed silent thinking for a moment.

"How did she react whenever you mentioned something about the Gray Titan?" she asked.

"She…always seem to be cautious about what she say whenever we mentioned," Armin said, thinking back to the days after the Trost campaign.

Mikasa thought back to Sarah when they spoke outside of the Walls.

 _It was like she put a wall up…_

"But whenever the Gray Titan appeared, she fought against Annie," Eren said, "They were rumors she fought against other Titans during Trost…couldn't that mean she is on our side?"

Hange's look was blank.

"If she was, then why did she keep it quiet?" she asked, "Her name is falsified and _Sarah Gray_ didn't exist till she signed up to join the Cadets. She may not be on the side of Reiner and Berthold, however, that doesn't mean that she is on ours. Pastor Nick seems to think that Sarah might try to kill Krista for some reason and if they are on the front line right now…even more chance for Krista to end up dead in an accident. We will treat her as the enemy for now, until she reveals who exactly she is and whose side she is on."

* * *

 **So ends this chapter. Some heavy foreshadowing about the history of Sarah's family in this last one. Hope you have enjoyed that as more will get dropped in the coming chapters. XD**

 **I know you all were thinking that Armin was going to be the one who figured her out...but it turned out to be Mikasa...**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Terror at Utgard Castle

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	28. Terror at Utgard Castle

**Hey guys, here is the next update in this fanfic. Sorry for the long wait for this update but anyway, hope you enjoy this new chapter.**

 **Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah, Ymir, Krista, Connie Reiner and Berthold all standing together as they were looking down toward the Titans around the tower they stood on.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Terror at Utgard Castle

" _EVERYONE GET UP NOW_ ,"

I was startled into awakening by the loud shout. My heart suddenly hammered within my chest as I pulled myself into a seating position blearily looking around, the shadow of sleep still upon my face, my hair falling down around my head no longer tied in a band. I glanced around taking notice of everyone getting up as well and from beside me Krista was waking up as well, her blue eyes looking tired and still faded from sleep.

I looked up at the stairs above where I was lying down, finding one of the Scout, the other woman in the group apart from Nanaba, looking down toward us with wide eyes. She looked tense as her skin was completely white from fear.

 _What the hell…_

"Get to the top of the tower immediately," the woman yelled again.

I pulled myself up to my feet, as everyone was still sleepy but the urgency in the woman's tone forced me to push sleep to the side. Exchanging concerned look with the shorter blonde girl, the two of us followed the soldier back toward the top of the tower were the moonlight was shining quite brightly in the sky above us now. There was a small fire burning in the middle of roof to keep warm against the cool night air considering it was getting colder as the days passed by.

However, the place that was completely deserted when we were on horses was now completely overtaken by Titans. Just the sight of them was enough for me to pause in shock at what was happening, completely taken aback by the sight of the numerous Titans that were appearing all around us seemingly walking out of the darkness like a legion of undead soldiers.

I stared at the Titans, shock and horror coursing through me at the very sight of them.

"I couldn't see them in the dark," the female Scout said, "But with the moonlight…"

"How can they move?" the leader of Connie's squad argued, "It shouldn't be happening…the sun went down hours ago."

I glanced around the area of the castle only finding Titans as far as I can see. This shouldn't be happening…given all the thoughts I had about what happened to the Wall. Even so, Titans can't move around after the sun set…

 _But why are these guys…still moving and how?_

"Um…guys, just what the hell is that?" Connie asked pointing to something in the distance.

I followed the direction he was pointing and found myself staring at a large thing. It was easily taller than any Titan I have seen before safe for the Colossal but the one thing was that it was covered with air almost like it was a beast of some sort. It had long arms…twice longer than normal and shorter stout legs and as he was walking its movement were awkward like he was going to stumble if he moved too quickly. The massive beast didn't even spare us a glance at all and none of the Titans seems to even seem to notice that it was present at all. I stared at the large Beast, feeling my eyes wide with shock.

"Th…That's some kind of Titan right?" Connie asked, "But you ever seen one covered in fur…it looked like some kind of b _east?"_

"I don't know Connie," I said, and the fear that I was feeling was very well represented in my voice as I stared at the Titan that was walking past the castle and aiming straight at the direction of the Wall in the distance.

But it didn't last for the tower sudden shook terrible and I lost my footing falling into the nearest person to me meaning Reiner but the young man managed to steady me. I shot him a look to say thanks but Reiner's attention was fully on something else, and there was strange look in his eyes almost like he was looking at something in wonder…

I didn't have time to question it at all for the tower shook again.

"Hey back up, don't be coming up here…go bother someone else," the man growled looking at the Titans bellow us, "Damn it, I should be drinking right now damn it…you're standing between me and a tanker of ale."

He had drawn his sword and stood on the edge of the tower staring down at the Titan with such hatred in his eyes that seem like he was trying to make them disappear with his own eyes.

" _I've earned the right to get sloshed,"_ he bellowed.

"Rookies stay where you are," Nanaba said as she and the other Scouts member approached the edge as well, "We've got this. Let the ODM gear do what it was designed for."

She turned forward and jumped off, the three other Scouts following after her.

" _ATTACK_ ," she yelled.

I instantly approached the edge looking at them fly down toward the Titans which were nearest of where we are and they started to cut them down quickly. It was quite a sight to see experienced soldiers in action as they cut down some of the Titans that were nearby thought my attention returned back toward where the strange Beast Titan had gone but I lost sight of it completely.

Then suddenly one of the Scout was in front of us.

"The door had been breached," she spoke her tone hurried and urgent, "Titans are in the castle. Get bellow and improvised on some sort of barricade. Be careful and retreat back up here only as a last resort. Now hurry, the rest of us will keep any more from getting through and they're quite a few."

The lady turned her gaze back toward the numerous Titans that were surrounding Utgard.

"So, this might be it for us," she said, "But by god we'll fight to the last breath. Our heart and soul to the cause, right? _Now Go_."

"Right,"

We all turned away from her and ran back toward the inside of the Castle. Reiner was already in front of us quickly grabbing a torch and running ahead.

"I'll go and see how far they've gotten in," he yelled, "You find something to barricade the door, whatever isn't nailed down."

"Reiner wait," Krista yelled at him.

"Hang on," Berthold said, "I'm coming along."

"You've got to be kidding me," Connie said, "Why is it he always has to be the one to step up? C'mon man, give us a break.."

"It's a habit of his," Berthold admitted to us.

"It's reckless," I added.

"Look, I'll deal with Reiner," Berthold said, "You help Krista and Ymir."

With that he left us behind and I turned my attention toward the other two as they were already starting to search around the level that we were in to try to find anything to help at all. Connie found a knife but other than that…

"Look at this thing," Ymir said.

She had opened up a door finding a canon standing there. It was old and they were cobwebs all over it and from the rust upon the metal that formed the tube, I doubted that it had been used in a long while. I approached the cannon.

"Think it'll help?" I asked, "Can this thing even fire?"

"I doubt it's been used in a while," Ymir said, "But that's the best we've got…"

Suddenly a shout came from below us.

" _IN HERE, THEY'RE IN THE TOWER. GET DOWN HERE AND HELP ME,"_

It was Reiner's voice and I quickly glanced back toward where it came from before looking at the two others that were with me. Ymir's face had turned white and Krista was already pale from the fear.

"Don't have a choice," Ymir said, "C'mon help me."

I didn't even need to be told twice. I rushed toward the taller girl and with Krista's and help Connie, we managed to push the cannon through the empty room and straight toward the open-door Reiner had gone through just moments ago. It was slow work given the squeak of the wooden wheels and I was desperate to get this thing to it's location so that Reiner or even Berthold for that matter didn't ended up as Titan food and we managed to push it through the door.

A floor bellow us, both Reiner and Berthold where there facing a small Titan whose upper torso had almost broken through the door and had a hoe stabbed straight though it's eyes…thought it was still fighting against the duo who were struggling with it.

"Guys head up, incoming," Ymir yelled at them.

Both of them turned their head toward us.

"Where d-you find… Anyway, good work. Do you have any ammo?" Reiner yelled.

"I wish," Ymir yelled, "It was pure luck that we even found this… _Get out of the way."_

Ymir, Connie and I pushed against the cannon with all our might and the object went sliding down the stairs following the small cove that had been built in the stairs aiming straight down toward the door Reiner and Berthold were standing in front of. The two young men jumped out of the way at the last moment as the cannon smashed straight into the Titan's form causing a wave of dust to blow everywhere at once. I raised a hand toward my face to shield myself from the dust trying to see if the Titan was going to come through but there was no movement coming in the darkness beyond at all.

I walked down the stairs following after Connie who was still holding on the knife he had found.

"The miracle never ceases," Ymir said, "Huzzah."

"Just damn lucky we found the cannon," I said, my voice shaking lightly from fear or adrenaline I didn't know.

"Yeah, It's not getting up from that," Reiner said, "Good thing it was a little one."

"So, what do we do now?" Connie asked, "All that we have left is this knife…should I cut the nape or…?"

I place a hand upon his shoulder drawing his eyes toward me.

"Don't risk it," I told him, "I doubt a knife is going to do much against a Titan's skin."

"Sarah's right," Reiner said looking at us, "Get grabbed and you're dead."

"Then our best course of action is to return back upstairs," Krista said carrying a torch in her hand, "We have no way of knowing if that's the only one who got…in…"

Krista trailed off and I looked up at her as her eyes were went wide with horror at something that was behind both me and Connie and at the same time the sound of the rubble being moved came from behind. I chanced a glance behind and find myself face to face with another small Titan who strangely enough had both it's eyes closed but it seems to know exactly where we are for it suddenly lunged aiming straight for both me and Connie.

Connie was frozen where he stood however, I pulled on his shirt and yanked him away just as the Titan reached me. I heard him yell out in pain from where he fell and the next thing I knew, large hands had taken hold of my other arm and a large pair of teeth clamped down upon my shoulder.

Pain and blood completely overcame me causing me to scream out. I can feel several things happening around me as someone screamed my name out and someone was beside me in a flash smashing away at the Titan's face and then there was a flash of silver from somewhere and then the Titan's jaw allowed me to go and I fell down upon the ground, completely covered in blood… _my blood…_

Someone was saying something to me…but for the life of my life I couldn't figure out what they were saying at all before I was lifted from the ground and they were even more yelling…sound of something screaming again and even more sound of feet against the ground…footsteps…

"…was stupid what you did…"

"…Can't let her die without trying something…,"

Whispers of voices were arguing around me as I let out a cough causing a silence before someone appeared in my vision. I noticed the ceiling and then clear blue eyes filled with tears and concern was there looking down at me along with shining blond hair reflecting against the light of nearby torches.

"Sarah…can you hear me? Can you speak…?"

"K…Krista…," I spoke, "The Titan…where…?"

"Don't worry about that for now," Krista said, "I'm going to try to take care of the wound…?"

"She's already at death's door Krista," another voice spoke.

 _Ymir._

"Don't say that," Krista said looking off at her and since I was on the ground, I couldn't do anything but listen with my labored breathing.

"Even if you tried to help, without proper medication, she'll be dead by morning," Ymir said, "Not like the rest of us have a better option with Titans swarming the area. We'll be lucky if we are alive by morning."

"Don't be like that Ymir," another voice, Connie argued, "One of our comrades is dying right in front of us and that's all you can say…?"

"I'm simply being realistic about the situation," Ymir answered.

"I don't care, Krista do whatever you can to keep her alive," Connie said.

The blonde nodded and started to work on the wound removing the light clothing I was wearing.

"I'm going to use some alcohol to disinfect the wound," she told me, "It might sting…I'm sorry…"

"I…It's ok…," I breathed.

The liquid that fell upon my skin burned and I let out a gasp of pain as Krista worked upon what she was doing. Her touch was gentle almost like she was trying very hard not to hurt me anymore and I simply closed my eyes, letting the soothing touch take away the burning pain from my wound. It was pulsing feeling the pain almost like an heartbeat of it's own…

"...ake up…, _Sarah wake up_ ,"

I opened my eyes finding both Krista and Connie looking down at me.

 _When did Connie get here?_

"Don't fall asleep alright," Connie was saying, "Whatever you do…you can't fall asleep."

"Connie…when did you… get here?"

A look crossed the young man's face but it was gone too quickly for me to truly decipher what it meant. He was still holding upon the knife from before but he let out a small chuckle.

"Cmon,' I've always been here," he said, "And you're going to be alright okay Sarah. When we get out of here we'll find some place to get up back on your feet."

I smiled lightly.

"T…That'll be nice…," I murmured.

Then there was sudden boom coming from outside drawing both Connie and Krista's attention from me and toward the others. The group was silent as well before another boom shook the entire room, we were in.

"Just what the hell…?" Connie said shocked.

"Those aren't cannon fire…but what could be powerful enough to damage the tower itself?" Ymir spoke from somewhere.

"Then let's go see what it was," Reiner said.

"We can't just leave Sarah down here…"

"I'll carry her," Berthold spoke out, "Best she stay close to us in her state…if you want to keep her alive that is."

I was lifted up from the ground I was lying on and my eyes found themselves looking at Berthold's pale features and then I was moving swaying lightly in his arms as he was moving forward. He looked down toward me and there was a flash of something in his eyes as he was staring down at my wound…

" _Steam?"_ he whispered softly, " _Sarah…you are…?"_

"Berthold, what's the hold up?" Reiner asked.

"It's nothing."

I couldn't understand much of what was going on around me after that other than the arguing voices that were fading in and out because of how much blood I probably lost because of the Titan attack against me…however, that time was hardly peaceful for I could hear people screaming and voices arguing sounding a lot like Ymir and Krista somewhere and then there was a sudden wave of heat and bright yellow light…

The tower shook some more I could feel someone carrying me but I couldn't figure out who it was at all. The world shook and crumble and I can feel a heat coming from somewhere as there was a light upon my skin now forcing me to open my eyes.

The sky which was inky black when I was last awake was now staring to show sign of blue and the morning sun was shining down from the heavens. I turned my gaze finding myself lying down upon a makeshift bed or some sort. I could hear voices talking somewhere and I turned my head to the side finding Connie there but there was also someone there as well, someone dressed in a green cloak with the Scout insignia upon it, long dark hair dancing lightly in the wind…

"She pulled me away when the Titan came and…," he stopped talking when he caught my eyes and instantly approached toward me.

"Sarah are you okay?" he asked.

But my eyes were upon the person that was beside him. I should have recognized her sooner but with how much blood I lost, and the wound and being completely out of it, my mind was working at a much slower pace than normal.

Mikasa Ackerman was kneeling beside me as she looked down toward me, her face was carefully blank of emotion but I could read something in her eyes. A quiet relief perhaps?

Then I closed my eyes once more letting the sleep take me once more…

* * *

 **The Scouts returns...and Sarah falls asleep...**

 **Next Time:** Enemies in our Midst.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	29. Enemy in our Midst

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Narissa dressed in her uniform holding a rifle in her hand as she was looking up at the sky.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Enemy in our Midst

 **NO POV**

 _This was a bad situation all around._

That was the thought that was running through Narissa Phel's mind as she was riding her horse following her Captain. The green cloak bearing the symbol of the Garrison Regiment danced in the wind behind the girl as she was frowning lightly at what was happening around her. Ever since the battle in Trost, Narissa had been placed in Trost as a member of the Garrison there and it had been mundane work of simply trying to keep the city in good condition after everything that had happened since the Titan attack a month ago.

But now, just a day ago a soldier had arrived in Trost telling them that they were Titans within Wall Rose area. Narissa had felt nothing but shock at what was happening and her squad had been sent to the front line to combat the Titans that was growing everywhere but, strangely enough, the situation was vastly different than how it was in Trost.

Not only that she went through all that before, it's just…there was something off about it.

Firstly, they barely had any contacts of Titans after the first initial attacks and then there was nothing wrong with the Wall at all. How was it that there was no breach and yet, still have Titans inside the Walls. It was odd and Narissa didn't like that feeling at all.

Hence, why it was a bad situation. Narissa never really liked having something like that going on around her and even so, if the Wall was undamaged then…where did those Titans came from?

"Remain sharp rookie," a voice spoke out drawing her eyes toward him, "Can't have you slacking off right now."

Narissa nodded.

"Sorry sir," she answered.

The light rain from this morning was still falling and Narissa refocussed upon the task they have do to. Their travel led them past a destroyed castle until they reached another part of the Wall. The information they have had given them orders that some members of the Scouts were going to be in the area and maybe they'll have better luck at locating the hole.

"Captain Hannes," the guy spoke, "I see movement on top of the Wall."

Narissa glanced up as well and sure enough, she caught sight of a group of people standing on the edge of the Wall looking down toward them. Captain Hannes turned his head toward them.

"I'll go up there and relay the information that we have," he said, "The three of you keep an eye upon the horses."

"Yes sir."

The man nodded and went off toward the top of the Wall while the rest of the stayed behind. Narissa glanced up at the top of the Wall for a few moments before taking a stance beside her own horse looking out toward the distance. Not like they were much even to see out there while the Captain was sending out words at the people that were on the top of the Wall. Standing there, Narissa found her thought returning to her friend Sarah.

She had joined the Survey Corps for a month now and she had been hearing rumors of a Titan battle that took place in Stohess District between two Titans…it made her wonder if her friend had been involved in all of that mess. She hadn't heard from Sarah in a while but maybe after this crisis is over, she'll send her word and learn how she was doing.

 _When this mess is dealt with,_ she thought.

The sound of an ODM being used drew her attention and Captain Hannes landed down upon the ground in front of them.

"We're returning to Trost District," he said, "Need to report back to Pixis about the situation out here."

Narissa nodded at him before climbing upon her horse and riding away form where the other Scouts where. They were nothing more to do out here with the Wall completely intact from their search and even the people from Kovlar had said the same. When they are dismissed, the first thing Narissa is going to do is get some rest from that whole thing that had happened out there. Maybe she'll be able to contact Sarah finally after a month…

A sudden explosion caused them to stop as they all stopped their horses. Captain Hannes had turned his head toward the direction of where the explosion was along with Narissa. Yellow lights could be seen coming from the direction they just came from and Narissa feel her eyes widening in shock at what was happening in the distance.

 _W…What the hell is that?_

"No…it can't be," Captain Hannes said for a few moments, "We're returning right now. We're going to give the Scouts a hand. We need to give them support immediately, and ODM at the ready soldiers, we may be heading into a fight."

"Sir," Narissa answered harming herself, nervousness coursing through her now.

They hurried back as quickly as they could and soon enough they were close to the Wall seeing a wall of steam rising from a section of the top of the Wall, the same area they had been just been in a little while ago when they were meeting the Scout that had been sent out to deal with Titans should the wall had been damaged by a breach.

Following Captain Hannes's lead, Narissa jumped from her own horse and using the ODM gear, she launched herself up the wall quickly enough until she reached the top. Sunlight blinded her for a moment but it was only for that split second as she was in the air that she saw what had caused the large amount of steam.

An enormous Titan has there, connected to the wall by the bones of its cage growing around it large form and many Scouts were standing nearby but none of them were approaching the Titan which was emitting a large amount of steam in the distance. She landed down upon the top of the Wall, in a crouch ready to battle as she was looking at the Titan in front of them.

"The Colossal Titan," Captain Hannes said, "I knew it…but why would it show up here all of a sudden?"

 _That's the Colossal Titan,_ Narissa thought looking at the large form in front of her, _The one that destroyed Wall Maria…and the one that destroyed the Trost Gate…it was him…_

Narissa glanced around herself for a moment, her eyes finding the closest person to them, a familiar blond young girl that she remembers from back at boot camp.

"Krista?" she said shocked.

The girl stared at her, her blue eyes widening.

"Narissa…," she said shocked.

"Hey, where are Eren and the others?" Captain Hannes asked suddenly.

Narissa blinked in surprised.

 _Eren is here?_ She thought.

Krista was the one who answered him pointing toward the other side of the Wall.

"Eren and the others are back that way," she said.

Captain Hannes went to check it out but Narissa approached toward where Krista was looking at the Scout member she was taking care of before glancing up toward the large Titan in front of them. It's body was massive and she can find herself understanding why they call it the Colossal Titan. Having never been this close to it before, Narissa can feel a light fear running through her at the sight of it staying right here towering above them.

She then glanced toward Krista.

"How many from our class is here?" she asked, "And where is Sarah? Was she with you?"

"Berthold and Reiner are around but I lost sight of them when the Colossal and Armored Titan appeared," Krista told her, "And Sarah…she was captured by the Colossal, along with Ymir."

Narissa looked down at her.

"Captured…but why?"

Krista didn't say anything but just shook her head.

"Why is no one doing anything then," she asked.

"We can't attack," Krista said, "The steam it's creating is too hot for us to approach it. All we can do is wait it out."

Narissa grit her teeth as she glared up toward the Colossal Titan in the distance. It's flesh was disappearing in some part revealing the massive skeletons that were around it's face and hand, gleaming in the sunlight around that shone from above them. Narissa stared at the Titan, feeling fear knowing that her best friend was caught by that monster in front of her. She can feel her hands shaking as she held her blades.

 _Damn it Sarah, you better not die like this,_ she thought staring at the monster in front of her.

A sudden inhuman screech drew her attention toward the direction where Krista had said that Eren and the others were. Narissa quickly made her way in that direction looking down at the direction the sound had come from. Just below them were two Titans locked into what seems to be a wrestling match. One of them had blocky like skin and had blood flying out from the area of the nape while the other was simply locking him down and seemed to be trying to pull his head off.

"What the hell…?" she murmured.

"Has to have a reason for that scream," Connie said looking down as well.

Then a sound drew everyone's attention back toward the Colossal Titan who had simply been immobile for a long moment before starting to lean to the side. Narissa's eyes widened in shock as the large Titan started to till, the bones that were attaching it to the wall snapping like twigs before falling aiming down straight toward the direction where the two Titans were...

"HEADS UP," someone screamed, "EVERYONE ABOVE YOU."

The warning came too late as a massive explosion took place creating a massive wave of winds that Narissa feel pushing her away even standing at the top of the fifty-meter Wall. The wind had pushed her back, large wave of heat, dust and debris flew everywhere at once as she was pushed almost falling down on the ground thought the only reason she hadn't fallen was because of her hooks she had instinctively launched into the ground to keep her still.

When the winds died out, Narissa pushed herself forward looking down toward the ground.

"Oh my god…," she whispered her eyes wide.

A large amount of destruction could be seen bellow along with the decaying bodies of the Colossal and the strange Titan that was fighting the Armored one who was now running away from where they are. Narissa stared at the large Titan's retreating form noticing a small figure upon it's shoulder but in distance she couldn't really see who it was that was upon there but there was the glinting of metal against the sun, probably someone who had an ODM gear…

 _They were shifters then…probably like Eren is…._

"Are they…still alive…?" Connie asked not masking the fear in his tone.

Narissa stared at them.

"You two stay up there," she said, "We'll find some survivors."

Krista and Connie nodded at her and Narissa jumped down from the wall and using her gear she landed upon the side of the wall, eyes searching around for any sign of survivors that she could see.

"Anyone still alive?" she called out, "Answer me."

"Over here," a voice called out.

Narissa followed it finding none other than Armin there along with Sasha. Her eyes went wide at the sight of them and she could see the surprise reflected back at her in Armin's eyes. The girl stared at them for a few moments.

"Narissa…?"

"Armin, Sasha the two of you okay?"

"We're fine," Armin said, "But the others got blasted by the explosion…we didn't even have a chance to take cover at all…"

"Help us look for the others then," Narissa said, "And get them up the wall…this is Titan territory on this side, don't want to stay on this side longer than necessary."

Armin nodded and then Narissa went ahead looking for survivors. It was a slow and methodical work as she found a lot of people lying around unconscious from being blasted this close by that explosion that the Colossal Titan had created. Some by just seeing a look she knew that they were dead from the amount of blood that was on the ground around them and in a half hour, they had taken most of the Scouts that were still alive on top of the Wall so that they could be treated.

"We need to send words to commander Pixis," Captain Hannes said, "Dorval, you will ride with one of the Scout able to ride to give the news immediately. Phel and I are staying here to keep an eye out over the injured…can't leave them like this."

"Sir," the man said before moving on and Sasha went along with him.

Narissa did the best she could for the injured and with Krista's help they had managed to give them some first aid help but nothing that can help given the situation of what had happened to them, it was the best that they could give unless they were taken to Trost for their injuries however, with so little people still conscious that wasn't an option at all.

The girl stared out toward the horizon where the Armored Titan had disappeared to and couldn't help but feel anger rising through her. Sarah was out there taken by these people and there was literally nothing that I could do about it. The horses are on the other side of the Wall and because of how many people are injured, we simply can't leave.

 _Not until the word we sent to Trost reach Commander Pixis,_ she thought.

Narissa walked toward the direction where Krista was. The girl looked up at her seeing her approach.

"You're holding up alright?" she asked.

Krista gave a light nod, "I'm fine."

Narissa glanced around.

"Why are you in your civilian uniforms?" she asked, "I saw Armin and Sasha earlier and even Mikasa was fully armed…why not you and Connie?"

"We were on standby somewhere while the Commander was summoned in the capital with the rest of the Scouts," Krista told her, "But then, the Titans appeared out of nowhere so we had no choice but to set out like this."

Narissa blinked lightly.

"So, you guys are the one that raised the alarm about this incident," she said.

Krista nodded.

"Get something to eat alright," Narissa said, "Maybe we'll have some chance to actually do something when help arrives and get our friends back. I know how much Ymir means to you anyway…"

Krista didn't say anything at all but Narissa wasn't waiting for an answer for she walked off her green cloak dancing lightly in the wind that was blowing around her. She made her way directly for Captain Hannes who was standing by Armin and the unconscious Mikasa. When the man stepped away from them, he caught sight of her approaching him.

"What's the verdict Phel?" he asked.

Narissa glanced back at the group.

"Their injuries are severe and require more than first aid," she said, "However, there are nothing life threatening…they are lucky that we were even around or most of them would have been Titan food by now."

Captain Hannes let out a grunt.

"Yeah."

"What do we do now sir?" she asked, "We can't mount a rescue operation for the ones that were taken nor we can leave the injured behind…"

"For now, we hold our position here," Hannes told her, "Not much we can do without backup. The Garrison don't have much experience outside the Walls not like the Scouts so we can't even mount an operation if we wanted to…and we have no lift to raise the horse to the other side of the Walls…not like we expected anything like this to happen."

Narissa nodded lightly and saluted.

"Sir,"

Hannes then walked off. Narissa glanced down at Mikasa noticing the unconscious girl was lying upon her scarf and had some bruises upon her skin, dark hair spread around like an halo. Her skin was oddly pale for someone who had spent her time under the sun and there was a certain allure about her.

 _No wonder Sarah's eyes were drawn to her…_

"She okay?" she asked, addressing Armin.

The blonde nodded.

"She'll be fine," he said.

Narissa let out a sigh and took a seat beside him.

"Mm," she said simply, "So…why don't you fill me on the blanks on what's really going Armin?"

The blond guy glanced at her surprised.

"Sarah was taken along with Ymir and Eren," Narissa told him, her eyes piercing straight through him, "However, you didn't seem all that surprised about it. Since there is nothing we can do about it now other than wait…that's plenty of time to talk don't you think?"

Armin looked at her for a moment before glancing back away from her. At first, Narissa thought that he was going to stay silent but then, he started talking to her revealing what he knew and listening, Narissa was completely floored. Annie was revealed to be a Titan along with Berthold and Reiner all of them had power and it was Berthold who was the Colossal and Reiner the Armored one, the two Titans that caused the disaster of Wall Maria five years ago. Even more, they had only recently discovered Ymir was also able to transform into a Titan along with Sarah who was the mysterious Gray Titan that many people reported to have been sighted during the Trost incident.

"…We know that Annie, Berthold and Reiner for whatever reason seems to be against us," Armin was saying to her, "However, Sarah's position is a bit strange. While she fought with us during the Trost incident and she fought against Annie during our Expedition, we don't know what her true intentions are. She may have come from outside the Walls like them all…"

Narissa blinked in confusion.

"But she has family in the walls," she said.

Armin suddenly glanced at her shocked.

"What?"

"Yeah," Narissa said, "She told me back during our training in Trost. She ran into a woman back then…she never told me her name at all but she said that it was her father's sister or something."

Armin was staring at her, completely taken aback by what she was revealing to him.

"Did Sarah ever told you about what happened to her after Wall Maria fell?" he asked.

Narissa stayed silent for moment thinking back to that conversation.

"Well…she said that she was taken in by her mother's sister and her husband," she said, "And that she was raised by them…never told me much about them after that, so I think they're still alive I think… no wait…her aunt died before she joined up and also that Gray is her mother's maiden name…probably not the name that she was born with she said."

Narissa glanced at him.

"I don't know much of what's her family history is like but what I do know Sarah hates her father for abandoning her and her mother…," she said.

Armin stayed silent thinking to himself. Narissa glanced forward, her gaze fixed upon the lands in the distance from where they were.

"My friend is out there," she said, "And after we save her…we are going to have a long talk Sarah and I."

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

" _It's a promise,"_

" _Live a life that you'll be proud of Krista,"_

" _YMIR,"_

" _Why don't you go outside and practice your flute…,"_

" _I'm sorry Sarah…,"_

" _Give me back my wife_ you monster _,"_

My eyes snapped open.

Bright sunlight was shining down upon me from where I was and I can feel the warm wind blowing against my skin. I was lying on something but I didn't understand where I was at all and the last memory I had before I went unconscious was of Connie and…Mikasa?

"Bad dreams," a familiar voice called out.

I instantly looked up toward where it was coming from.

Reiner and Berthold were both standing on a branch higher than were I was both of them wearing ODM gears. Reiner had both of his arms crossed across his chest as he was staring down toward me with an impassive look upon his face and Berthold was also staring down at me with curiosity in his dark eyes. I glanced to my left taking notice of Eren lying there unconscious to the world. He was dressed in his military uniform…thought he didn't have no arm at all just steam rising from where his elbows were.

Ymir was there as well and she also had steam rising from her arm and leg. I stared at her completely taken aback at what I was seeing.

 _What the hell…_

I turned my gaze toward Reiner and Berthold, feeling nothing but confusion at the situation I had just found myself in.

 _Just what is going on here?_

* * *

 **Sarah wakes up...and is with Reiner and Berthold...**

 **Next Time:** Revelation of Sins

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	30. Revelation of Sins

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Thanks for the review of the last chapter but anyway here is the next update so enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah standing by herself facing forward with Reiner, Annie and Berthold's back behind her facing the other way.

Chapter Thirty

Revelations of Sins

Confusion is not something that I found myself feeling often. Sure, they were times when I was confused about things that were going on around me but it always cleared up pretty quickly so I could understand what was going on. However, this situation right here was confusing to me.

I stared up toward where Reiner and Berthold were standing, blinking as if the image wasn't quite right in my mind. Eren and Ymir were there as well and they didn't seem to be conscious yet thought the steam rising from their bodies means that they were being healed from the injuries that they were possessing right now. We were in a bunch of giant trees and there was nothing to be seen for miles around us, except for the endless green grass on the ground and Titans lumbering about here and there.

The memories of what happened at Utgard Castle were still fresh in my mind and from how the sun was in the air, it was way past midday and the last time I was awake, I remembered seeing Mikasa but I wasn't too sure about the memory now.

 _But…how did I ended up all the way out here?_ I thought, _Last thing I remember is Utgard Castle…and from how things are, half a day is already passed since I lost consciousness. That would mean we survived the siege at the castle but…what happened after? Why are we out here and where are others, Krista, Connie…did they make it?_

I chanced a glance in Ymir's direction.

 _She is another Titan shifter as well,_ I thought, _I remember…Krista screaming her name but other than that…there was nothing that I could make out. If she is a Titan shifter…then, how long has she been one and what's her story?_

I turned my gaze toward both Reiner and Berthold, both boys, I noticed were dressed with ODM gears and they had full blades as well. I can feel confusion at the sight…

 _Are they the ones that took us all the way out here?_ I thought, _But what's the reason? Why are we here?_

"You don't seem surprised about Ymir," Reiner spoke out drawing my eyes toward him.

"Neither do you," I answered back.

"Well, we had our chance to get surprised back at the castle," Reiner said, "Off course during that time you were comatose from your injury…thought, if it was any other person you would have been dead since this morning…but you're not like any other person are you Sarah."

His eyes stare straight into my own for a few moments before turning toward Berthold.

"Look like you were right in bringing her along," he said, "If she is connected to _that family_ …then there is a chance that it would help."

I frowned at them.

 _They're talking as if they're aware of my ability to become a Titan,_ I thought, _That family…what the hell are they talking about._

"What family?" I asked.

Reiner and Berthold glanced down toward me.

"What was that?"

"You mentioned _that family,"_ I stated staring at the duo in front of me, "What the hell are you talking about?"

The duo stared down toward me, a light surprise appearing upon their features. It was like what I had just said had caught them off guard. I couldn't think of any reason as to why it should catch them off guard since they seem to know more than me about this entire situation than I can think of. I chanced a glance toward Eren once more who was still completely unconscious…

 _The image of the Female Titan biting into the nape of the Rogue Titan…_

 _Flashback_

" _Wait what are you even thinking about," I asked her, "How can something like that be even possible? Humans turning into Titans…that's ludicrous."_

 _Maria laughed, closing the case._

" _I can see how it is difficult to believe," she said, "However, I have suspicions about the two Titans that destroyed Wall Maria. I have been outside of the Walls many times before and while the Titans are dangerous, they never displayed any type of intelligence shown by the Colossal or the Armored…The Titans appeared and destroyed the Wall and disappeared just as quickly…"_

 _She seems to frown at that._

" _I don't have proof," she said, "I have been doing investigating about it so far, they have been nothing at all. But with how everyone talks about Titans, and with the knowledge of our family history, I am more inclined to believe that they are humans like me. People who have the ability to turn into Titans."_

 _End of Flashback_

Something just clicked in my mind then. At first, I was shocked while I was staring at Eren, before turning my gaze toward the duo above me. I stared at them, completely shocked at the situation that I had just uncovered. However, an ugly feeling was starting to bubble within my gut that I can't help but tighten my fists at it.

 _How…could…they…_

 _The Colossal Titan's head appearing above the Walls of Shingashina…_

 _How could…they…_

 _A large boulder seating in front of me with blood splattered all over the bottom…_

 **How…could...they…**

" _I hate them…I hate them all."_

"You… _you were the ones behind it,"_ I said, my voice barely above a whisper but it seems to draw their attention toward me, "You destroyed Wall Maria…five years ago. _You're the Armored and Colossal Titan."_

The ugly feeling was pulsing within me now so much that my hands were shaking…

"All this time…you were right there in front of me," I continued as the memories of our training days flashed through my mind, "You trained among us…you slept among us and yet…all this time, you were the enemy that destroyed the Wall in Shingashina and in Trost. How many… _DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY PEOPLE THE TWO OF YOU SLAUGHTERED?"_

These last words had risen into a shout as I glared toward the two above me, raising one of my hand toward my face so that I could bite down upon it and transform right then and there. Both Berthold and Reiner suddenly tensed up at my movement.

"Sarah, don't," Berthold yelled out.

My hand was inches away from my lips.

" _And why shouldn't I?"_ I growled, " _Why shouldn't I transform and make you feel all the pain I've felt since that day?"_

"If you transform right now both Ymir and Eren will be caught in the blast," Berthold reasoned, staring down at me, "and take a look at where we are right now. We are in Titan territory and not alone as you can see."

I stayed still, glaring at the duo in front of me feeling my rage bubbling through my form. I turned my gaze toward where Eren was still unconscious as to what was going on around him and turned my gaze back around to where we are. They were Titans…smaller one beneath where we were and I didn't have an ODM gear on me at all…and then there was a fifteen meter a few trees away from where we were, almost like he was hiding partly from where he was and there was another just lying down upon the ground, his eyes fixed in our direction.

 _Shit,_ I growled, _If I transform now…those Titans will be quicker on me than flies on crap. The explosion will destroy this branch we're on and both Ymir and Eren will fall to their deaths and the Titans will get to them. Reiner and Berthold…they can zip away with the ODM gear out of reach…and with so many Titans…I can't be rash in this situation…no matter how much I want to…_

I stared at Eren.

 _Mikasa will never forgive me if something happens to him…not if he died because I was being rash and thoughtless…_

I lowered my hand from my lips and Berthold seem to relax lightly at that. I gave him a vicious glare when noticed this and from how his face tensed, he had noticed it. Good, just because I am not transforming doesn't mean that I am your friend.

 _Not anymore…_

"Well, this was certainly not the way I expected to wake up," a familiar voice spoke out drawing our eyes toward her, "But it was riveting to see none the less."

Ymir was awake. The girl was still missing a hand and a foot which was still steaming however, she didn't seem to be all that broken up about it. The girl glanced around herself for a few moments before her eyes found both Berthold and Reiner on the branch above us then her eyes fell upon me.

"Huh," she said, "I didn't think you would be on their side Sarah."

" _Fuck off_ ," I growled.

A curious look was upon her features as she was staring at me.

"So, this is how you look like when you're angry," she said, "I must say, if you showed emotions more often you might not be so bad to look at."

"You're not my type," I told her.

A smirk appeared upon her lips.

"Oh…is it because I'm not wearing a red scarf?" she asked, pointing at her neck with her good hand.

I gave her a look.

"I can kick you off this branch you know," I stated simply.

Ymir let out a laugh.

"I'm just messing around," she said before turning her gaze back toward the two boys across us, "So any of you want to clue me into what's going on here?"

"We'll wait for Eren to wake up," Reiner said simply.

With that they didn't say anything to us anymore. Ymir let out a scoff at that but she didn't say anything else. Me, I couldn't say anything for my anger at these two was still burning within me. I trusted them wholeheartedly before all of this. Reiner was the 104th Big brother. He was admired quite well among our class and even Narissa had a small crush on the guy because of it…and while Berthold isn't one to talk, he was still likable.

 _If it wasn't for them…_

My mother's face appeared within my mind as well as the image of the giant boulder which crushed her…

 _Fuck…fuck…fuck…_

"Well isn't that great," Ymir said with a scorn in her voice, "As if this day couldn't get any better than it was already."

I didn't say anything at all but only took a seat down against the back of the tree. My eyes were drawn toward the Titans that were beneath us lumbering about without a care in the world, thought their eyes seems to be fixated upon where we are right about now. I didn't have to wait long before Eren started to move as well drawing my eyes toward him.

The young man seems dazed at first but he got his awareness back quickly. He stared up straight toward where Reiner and Berthold were standing and it was the first one who caught sight that he was awake.

"You're awake," he said, "Welcome back."

Eren stared at him for another moment, made to move his arms but there was nothing there. He struggled for a little bit revealing the stump that were his arms. Waves of steam blew past around him as he stared down at them in horror.

"What the…my arms…,"

"Eren…," Ymir spoke out, showing him her own stumped limbs, "I…I'm not in any better shape than you are. Seems we're both having a shit day…well safe for Sarah."

At my name, Eren turned his gaze finally finding me seating there on the other side of where he was. I didn't meet his gaze at all since I was focused upon the Titans that were around us. He glanced down at his arms.

"What…what did you do to me?"

"Sorry that was my fault," Reiner spoke out drawing my attention at him, "You can pin your injuries on me. I guess I was in kind of a hurry back there. Bit your nape without thinking about your arms at all."

Eren stared down at his arm for a few moments seemingly in thoughts.

"Is that so…?"

A tense silence followed these words and then Eren instantly raised his stumped arm toward his lips before biting down.

"Eren don't do it," Berthold warned him.

Ymir took hold of the arm and yanked it out of his lips.

"Easy there, hothead," she said, 'Take a look at where we are right now. This is the giant forest within Wall Maria. Wall Rose is leagues away which means, we're deep inside Titan country as you can see. The big one down there is an Abnormal. Look like he is kicking back lying down but his eyes haven't moved from us once, lot of smaller ones down there too…and back there is another one fixated but keeping his distance. Strike me as the shy type."

Placing an arm upon Eren's elbow, Ymir pointed toward the two boys.

"And then there is these two," she said drawing Eren's eyes toward them, "They had the foresight of dressing up in full gear course Reiner took yours. Things is changing into a Titan isn't going to accomplish very much right now. Which leaves two things, one they can do the very same thing if they want...two they can zip into the trees if they want. We're basically surrounded on all sides. Power or no power, getting out of this will be tricky as hell even at the best of time which is probably why Sarah isn't doing much given she is fully healed unlike us."

The two looked at me, and I stared back at them silent.

"you get me," Ymir continued staring at Eren, "You ain't going to accomplish anything by being a dumbass."

"She's right," Reiner said, "Unlike Sarah, you can't change into Titans anyway with the state you're in. The body can only take so much. It's a little preoccupied with healing at the moment."

"Nice try," Eren spoke, his voice barely holding back his contempt, "you expect me to seat here and take the words of a liar."

Reiner face didn't even twitch at that.

"Well," Ymir said, "We're sort of at a disadvantage here. It's not like we understand how this works anyway. Unlike you guys, I'm basically clueless on the in and out of being like you….Hey, Reiner, you said you'd start talking once Eren woke up. Don't you think it's about time somebody explain what you plan on doing with us."

Silence filled the air.

"We're taking you to our hometown…well, you and Eren at least," Reiner spoke, "Sarah is going to another place…of course, I realized that none of you are going to do as I asked. Like Ymir was saying thought, this place is crawling with Titans. We can beat the living shit out of each other if that's what you wish but I wold advise against it."

His eyes seems to stray toward both me and Eren when he said that.

"Our friends down there are hungry and are not known to discriminate," he continued, "Should you try to run or do anything else, believe me when I said that our options are limited. We wait for nightfall."

I narrowed my eyes at him.

 _Something must have happened while I was unconscious…something that took a lot of his energy,_ I thought, _That's the only explanation that I can think of at the moment. Given what he said about biting Eren's nape earlier…the two must have gotten into a fight somehow and Eren lost that one and they managed to escape somehow…and used something to put distance between them and the Scouts…And if they were survivors from that battle, they would be coming after Eren…_

I narrowed my eyes.

 _Only a matter of time then…that is…if they were survivors…_

"The Titans at the castle didn't have any problem moving around after dark," Ymir brought up drawing my eyes at her.

"Those Titans can't move around at night," Reiner answered simply, "But you will know all about that don't you Ymir?"

 _What was that suppose to mean?_

Ymir didn't say anything as she was simply looking up at Reiner, an empty expression upon her features. She was right thought, back at Utgard Castle the Titans were able to move around during the night even when they shouldn't be able to. This was something that was puzzling and yet terrifying at the same time…

 _The image of the strange Beast like Titan appeared within my mind._

 _Wait…did he have something to do with it?_

The Titans didn't seem to have notice him at all back when Connie had pointed him out to me. It was like he was just walking around with nothing to do while the rest of the Titans were swarming the castle that night, eager to get to us.

 _If he was behind the attack…then how did the Titans get inside the Walls in the first place. The Wall wasn't damaged at all with the search we did…then how…_

"Don't you have any water?" Ymir asked, "I'm dying of thirst here."

Reiner looked down at her.

"Not much I can do about it," he said, "Even if this is a matter of life and death."

"Great at least I know where we stand," the girl answered.

I didn't even say anything at all looking at her, annoyed.

 _She just can't shut up…can she?_

"Speaking of which," Reiner continued, "We've been working our asses off. No food, no sleep, no nothing…ever since those Titans showed up, that was yesterday right."

I looked up at the young man, wondering why he was bringing this up now.

"We're lucky the Wall hasn't been destroyed," Reiner continued, causing my eyebrows to rise even more, "Still, you'd think that mean they'll give us a break…and don't even get me started on promotions."

Berthold was looking at Reiner a strange expression upon his face…almost like he couldn't believe what he was saying.

"What the hel…?"

Reiner must have heard him for he glanced at him.

"What?" he asked, "C'mon, you don't think that just too much to ask do you? God knowns we've done our fair share of heavy lifting…all things considered. I mean I get it, we're soldiers duty first… _it's just nice to be acknowledged."_

I can feel my mouth dropping open at that bit. I was staring at the young man in front of me, completely taken aback. He glanced down toward me, and surprise… _genuine_ surprise appeared upon his features when he noticed my expression. Strangely enough, that care free expression of his reminded me of the Reiner I was playing chess with yesterday morning.

"What's that look for Sarah?" he asked, "I mean, you could help me out don't you? Back at the castle, that Titan would have chopped your entire arm off if I didn't save you. The moment I saw you that you were in danger, I jumped in to save you…that's what comrades do, so no need to be shocked about it."

 _H…He…He is serious,_ I thought feeling more and more shocked at him, _Reiner…you…_

"You bang your head or something?" Ymir asked him, "What are you even talking about?"

Reiner's eyes shifted toward her.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, "I'm not saying that we storm in and demand the rank of Captain or something."

Ymir frowned, "That's not what I meant."

"Oh yeah," Reiner blinked as if he just remembered something, "Where did you find that canon by the way. You really saved my ass back there both you and Sarah. Must really pay you back someday about it…oh, maybe I'll talk to the Commander about giving you two promotions as well. I mean, we're all from the same class and all…"

"HEY," Eren suddenly yelled bringing himself to his feet, glaring at Reiner and I knew that if he had fists they would be clenched in rage right about now, "What's wrong with you? You've got to be kidding me…"

Reiner stared at him, "What's got you pissed all of a sudden? Take it easy, okay. Was it something I said or…"

"If you want to die just keep talking," Eren snapped at him.

"Hold up Eren," Ymir spoke out, holding out her arm to stop the young man from launching himself at Reiner, "I think someone gone off the deep end. Is that what this is Berthold? Because if you know something we don't, now would be a good time to speak up."

Berthold was silent for a moment before speaking.

"Reiner… _snap out of it,"_ he said, "We're not soldiers you and I… _we're warriors."_

Reiner seems to freeze at that. Like he couldn't believe what he had just heard almost like a switch had been flipped within him. The young man glanced at the side, his face darkening probably from whatever what was happening to him.

"So…that's how it is," he whispered his voice breaking before he fell down upon his knees his head in his hand.

"What the hell is he doing?" Eren growled narrowing his eyes.

"I think I have a pretty good idea," Ymir said, "Didn't add up at first. Why would the man who broke the Wall risk his neck to save Sarah's life? It's like the poor bastard's personality is compartmentalized or something. Everything he does is a contradiction in terms…he can't help it. On one hand he is a warrior wanting to push humanity to the brink…on the other, he is pretending to be a soldier…I think he got a little lost in the role. He can't resolve these facets of himself, can't deal with the weight of what he's done so the one way to deal with it was to fall for his own act. He thinks he is a soldier… _this is what you call a split personality."_

I stared at Ymir.

"So…that Big Brother act…was just part of all that?"

"Probably," Ymir said shrugging, "Boy's gone insane. His heart and mind are at war with each other and from the look on Berthold's face, that's not the first time this has happened. Blows my mind…someone as brutally honest as you losing their…"

" _Shut up,"_ Reiner interrupted.

That voice was dangerous and low and the full rage within it caused Ymir to pause almost like had crossed an invisible line or something. But of course, this is Ymir, so even that couldn't shut her up.

"Must have really hit a nerve," she said.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Eren asked, his voice cold, "Where did you get off playing the victim? You're wallowing in self-pity. _How dare you?_ What was going through your head the day I told you my story huh? Remember that Berthold, I'm talking to you _lackey._ I told you everything, and you sat there looking me dead in the eye, watch me relive my mother being eaten alive, don't you remember? It just so happens a chunk of the wall you kicked down fell upon our house. It's what kept her from running away…"

The image of a large rock with blood splatters at the bottom of it flashed within my mind causing me to look away from them and I thought I saw Ymir gave me a sideway glance at that.

" _Let me ask you again,"_ Eren asked, his voice shaking from a barely restrained rage, "What was going through your head when I told you that story?"

Berthold who was looking at Eren now simply turned his head away from him.

"Want me to be honest…in the moment, I felt sorry for you."

A soft silence followed.

"Sorry for me?" Eren repeated, "So then…you're not warrior nor soldiers. You're just murderers. Psychotic mass murderers who snuffed out the lives of countless innocent people that never did you any wrong."

"Don't you think I know that?" Reiner suddenly shouted, "I Don't need you shoving it down my goddamn throat."

" _THEN STOP ACTING LIKE YOU SHOULD BE FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF,"_ Eren yelled back, " _WE'RE LIVING IN A HELL THAT YOU TWO CREATED? ARE YOU PROUD OF YOURSELVES? YOU'RE NOT ONE OF US, YOU'VE NEVER BEEN. YOU'RE NOT EVEN HUMAN ANYMORE…"_

"YOU WANT AN APOLOGY?" Reiner yelled back, "IS THAT WHAT YOU GET BY CALLING US MURDERERS? WANT US TO FEEL BAD? WANT US TO TAKE THE BLAME? WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO? THE PEOPLE YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW DON'T EXIST, THEY NEVER HAVE. BUT HEY, IF SCREAMING DO IT FOR YOU, THEN GO AHEAD AND SCREAM YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF."

A deadly silence followed after that screaming match and Reiner was breathing heavily as he was glaring down at Eren. I looked at the two of them for a few more moments before turning my gaze toward the direction of Reiner, narrowing my eyes at him.

* * *

 **Tensions starts to run high as the truth came forth...**

 **Next Time:** The Children

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	31. The Children

**Hey guys, sorry for the long time with no update for this fic. Since i got a job now, i don't have much time to write these days and even on the week-end my time got cut short so the updates might be slow from this point on...Just a heads up but i haven't given up on this fic anyway, here is the new chapter.**

 **Read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Reiner Berthold and Annie along with Eren, Sarah and Ymir all of them seating back to back with each other.

Chapter Thirty-One

The Children

It was hard for me to see the young man standing across me as Reiner. How could he have done all of this five years ago, him along with Berthold? They came from god knowns where from beyond the Wall and they destroyed it but for what? All that they have done so far is kill hundred of peoples and despite all of that it doesn't seem that there are many things that they had done.

The only thing that I could understand in all of this is that they seem to be focused on Eren but why? What is it about Eren's power that was different? They took Ymir too along with myself, so could it mean that they were hunting down all the people who had the ability to transform into Titans? Then that would mean the Female Titan that attacked the Scouts during the expedition was also on their side, but who could it be? Reiner and Berthold didn't have much female friends as much as I was aware of it…even thought they have shared words with many of the girls…it was still difficult to determine who she was?

Eren and the others seems to know but maybe if we get out of this mess, I'll get a chance to ask him.

 _But how are we going to get out of this mess?_ I thought, _Neither Eren or Ymir or me have an ODM gear and I know that they can't carry all of us to where they need to go. If we wait for nightfall…it's not going to be easy to see where to go in the darkness and like Ymir said, the Titans that are at the castle can move after dark…I have a feeling that the Beast Titan was probably the one responsible…he was the only strange one there and none of the Titans that were there attacked him…_

I thought back to what Reiner said earlier…

" _Our friends down there are not known to discriminate,"_

My eyes went down toward the Titans beneath us again.

 _Then…if my theory is correct and that the Beast Titan is a shifter…he must have some sort of special ability or something…like a way to con…_

"…up with the giant monkey?" Ymir's voice asked.

I was snapped from my thoughts as I glanced at the direction of the girl for a split second before staring up toward Reiner. The young man's face was surprised at the question.

"Monkey? What are you talking about?"

A look crossed the girl's face.

"I thought for sure the two of you knew," Ymir continued, "The way you were ogling at him all slack jawed, I thought we were looking at a living legend…weird."

Eren didn't seem to find her funny.

"Monkey?" he repeated, "Don't be cute."

Ymir let out a sigh.

"Just shut up for a second," she said, "Monkey, Beast Titan whatever you want to call him, he is the one behind this latest fiasco. He is the reason why Titans are springing up from out of nowhere. I get the feeling that he is gauging our strength. Reiner and Berthold are trying to get to where he is…he is how they're getting back home."

I was looking at both Reiner and Berthold expression and they were shocked at what Ymir was saying. But unlike how Eren was shocked at what he was learning, the duo above us where shocked because they were wondering how Ymir knew what she knew?

"So, I was correct then," I spoke out.

"You got something to add?"

"Those Titans that attacked us at the castle…they were nowhere near when we first arrived there," I spoke out, drawing their eyes toward me, "Ever since we first caught the sight of them, I had a feeling in the back of my mind that something was out of place…I don't know if what I am thinking is correct but somehow, this Beast Titan can control this type of Titans."

Eren was looking at me.

"How do you figure that?"

"It's something Reiner said earlier," I said looking at the young man in front of me, "You said that we'll wait for nightfall to move…however, you were with me and Ymir at Utgard castle when the Titans could move after the sun has set. You knew those type of Titans were different than the ones you drew in Trost when you destroyed that Gate…and unlike the Beast, you can't control those Titans…you can only draw them to where you needed them to go…just like you did when you destroyed Wall Maria five years ago…and just like how the Female Titan did during the Scout's Expedition outside the Walls."

I glared up at the blond guy, with a scowl upon my face.

"And if you are heading to where he is like Ymir said… _then he is someone just like us. A human who has the power to transform into a Titan. Am I wrong?"_

"Sarah…," Eren said, his voice shocked.

"The Analyst of the 104th," Ymir chuckled, "How long it take you to figure that one out?"

"I was suspicious ever since I saw the Beast at the castle," I answered, "While they are many things we don't know about the Titans…what we do know however, is that Titans that show human like intelligence are like us and the Beast whatever he or she is…have done so when he trapped us in that castle hoping to kill us all so that he could simply leave without no evidence of it's existence surviving."

I looked at the duo again their eyes upon me and the shock I see within it was all the proof I need to know that I was on the correct path. Whoever was the Beast Titan, he is probably someone they know and look up to somehow if he was a living legend like Ymir said…however, that could also mean that the Beast Titan was a Titan longer than the two of them were…which could mean only one thing.

 _Reiner and Berthold and whoever that Female Titan was and the Beast Titan…they all know each other somehow and they have joined forces against us? But why…if we are the last remnant of humanity then why are they fighting against us instead of helping us defeat the Titans?_

"Sarah, how did you know all of that?" Eren yelled, "Just who are you? How long have you been a Titan?"

I gave the boy an annoyed glance.

"That's called observation and gathering information from what I know," I told him, "Unlike you, I don't just charge ahead without thinking things through. If you want the Walls to be safe again, you need to defeat the enemy that is causing all of this chaos. These two and the Beast Titan…"

"Safe?" Ymir said scoffing, "and here I was thinking that you were smart Sarah. If you two really think that stopping them will put an end to this you're sorely mistaking."

I gave her a glance.

"Ymir…," I started but Eren took over in his anger at what was going on around him.

"But then who is the enemy?" Eren yelled at her.

Ymir gave him a glance.

"The enemy?" she repeated, "Look, if I told you things would get too…"

"Ymir," Reiner called out interrupting our discussion.

We all looked up at him as he was looking down toward us.

"There is no future for this world and you know it," he said, "You seems to have a solid grasp of things. What do you think will be coming up next? Joining our side isn't out of the question if you're so inclined."

Ymir narrowed her eyes.

"And put my fate in you guys?" she answered with a sarcastic chuckle, "That's rich. Neither of you trust me as far as you could throw me."

"That isn't true," Reiner said, "We know what you really want. All you care about is protecting Krista right?"

A shine appeared within Ymir's eyes at the blonde girl's name. I stared at her feeling confused for a moment as to why they were brining up Krista all of a sudden.

"If we can all agree on that," Reiner continued, "I don't see the conflict, I'm being absolutely serious here. Is it so hard to believe that we want what's best for her as well? Hate to break it to you but you're not the only one…then again, you can always put your trust in Eren and Sarah…see where that leads you."

"What?" Eren asked, his voice having confused feeling within it as well as some of the rage against them.

Ymir stayed silent for a moment but shifted a gaze toward the boy who stared back at her. However, I was glaring up at Reiner wondering what was his angle bringing Krista into this whole mess? Was Krista important somehow to them? How was she connected in all of this?

"You're probably leaning toward escaping, rather to throw in with them than trusting in us," Reiner continued, "Because if we ended up taking you, there is not much hope of being rescued. I'll be straight with you, that much is true. Even if you came willingly we're not in the position of guarantee your safety. But if it's Krista we're talking about, we might be able to do something."

The conflicting emotions upon Ymir's features were hard to look at. Just what the hell was her story? I glared up at Reiner.

"Why are you brining up Krista right now?" I yelled at him, "She's got nothing to do with this."

Reiner let out a scoff almost as if I was proving a point to him.

"Like I said," he continued turning his gaze toward Ymir, "There is not much hope for this world…so what's it gonna be Ymir. Is it Krista's future or your own petty existence?"

I glared at the young man tightening my hands into fists.

 _Damn you Reiner…_

"Who is it?" Eren asked again addressing Ymir, "Who is the real enemy?"

Ymir stayed silent as he stared up at him. Her face was completely blank of emotions unlike before and her face was relaxed. It seems that she had come to a decision at least but her next words cemented just whom she had chosen…

" _Couldn't say."_

I glared at the girl and for one wild second, I had the mind to kick her off the branch we were on so that she could fall to her death but all I did was take hold of Eren's still healing arm and dragged him toward where I was standing.

"Sarah…what are you…?"

"She made her choice" I told him, " _She has chosen their side."_

Eren stood beside me as the two of us stared down toward Ymir who gave us a glance but then looked away again. There was the sound of someone using an ODM gear and Berthold had lanced beside Reiner the duo looking down at us.

"Alright then," Reiner smirked, "Sorry Eren."

Eren grit his teeth at the situation we were in and then I feel his gaze upon me.

"Then Sarah…you're…on my side?"

I gave him a glance meeting his green gaze with my own amber eyes.

"After all this time…if that wasn't clear enough for you then you really are an idiot like Jean always call you."

The young man looked at me as he still has the Titan marking around his eyes as they had started to fade. It was like he was remembering everything that had happened between the two of us so far. He gave me a brief nod of his head before the two of us stared at the trio that was around us…

 _This situation isn't favorable at all,_ I thought, _I could switch into a Titan and take Eren but with the ones below us…doing something like that is risky even for me…with Eren still healing, I can't risk him. If only I had my gear I could have escaped with the boy in my arms…if only…_

The sound of something in the distance drew their attention and with the tree beside me and Eren I couldn't see what it is yet. Berthold and Reiner seem to be speaking to each other about something but when I strain my ears to listen, I couldn't even hear what they were saying to each other. Whatever they were discussing, they must be talking about a way to leave right now…

"Sarah, what do we do?" Eren whispered to me, his voice in my ear, "We can't stay here till sundown. They'll never let me recover till then…Do you think you can transform and get us out of here?"

I gave him a glance.

"We're surrounded Eren," I breathed to him, "If I transform now, those Titans will be on me before I could reach the ground or get my bearing. If had my gear, I could have gotten us to a safe place so that I could but…without ODM gears, we're seating ducks…"

Eren looked away.

"Shit," he growled.

I glanced at Ymir and she was looking at us probably trying to listen to what we were saying.

 _What are you looking at you traitorous bitch?_ I thought, unable to stop myself from the anger I was feeling within me, _I never really liked you much but I still thought of you as a comrade even with your rotten personality…to think you would turn on us just to save your own skin…and it seems that you want to drag Krista along with you…like hell I'll let something like that happen. You aren't touching her as long as am here._

An ODM was used again and Reiner landed right between us. Ymir on one side and me and Eren on the other.

"What are you two doing now?" Eren asked, "I thought we were waiting till sundown?"

"There has been a change of plan," Reiner said simply, "I'm going to ask you nicely to not put up a fight."

I stepped forward between Eren and him.

"Eren may not be able to fight, but I have two fists that's ready to smash your traitorous face in," I growled.

"Really?" Reiner said simply, "Sarah you're the worst in the class in hand to hand combat and I am one of the top ten. You don't stand a chance as you are."

I glared at him.

"I don't need to be a good fighter to make you take a swan dive toward our friends down there," I answered him, "At least they'll have a nice diner ripping apart your traitorous flesh."

Reiner stared at me for a few moments his face blank of emotions but before he could say anything Eren shoot by me in a flash and smashed his face in and started to fight with him but Reiner was ready for the attack as he instantly had him in a hold. I stared at the duo in shock for a moment before I could interfere however, someone was already behind me locking me in a chokehold.

I instantly started to struggle against the large arm and when I glanced toward it, I recognized Berthold's face.

"L..let me go…Berthold…," I growled.

But the boy didn't even say anything as he continued to chock me and I could feel it getting harder to breath and my attention was turned toward Eren who was in a hold as well still struggling against Reiner.

"E…ren…," I gasped raising my hand toward him as black spots were starting to appear in my gaze.

Those were the last thing I saw before I fell unconscious and there was Berthold's voice beside my ear…

"I really thought you would be the one to join us instead of Ymir…but I guess you really didn't know anything even if you are the Gray Titan…or related to Ashler…"

* * *

 **NO POV**

The Forest of Giant Trees was just dead ahead of them. Narissa couldn't help but fell her fear rising as she had found herself riding in Titan territory with the Scouts, her Garrison Group and the MPs that Commander Erwin had come with when they had regrouped on top of the Wall from Trost and since then they had been riding at full speed in a race against time to find Eren, Ymir and Sarah the trio that were kidnapped by the Reiner and Berthold who Armin had revealed to her where the Armored and Colossal Titan. Narissa couldn't believe it the first time she had heard the truth about them but it would seem reality was a nasty bitch sometimes.

 _To think I actually liked Reiner back at boot camp,_ she thought, _And to learn all that he had done…it makes me sick…_

Tightening her grip upon the reign of her horse, Narissa was pissed off and wasn't about to let them take her friend away from her.

 _Damn it Sarah, see what you're making me do. I joined the Garrison Regiment to get away from those damn Titans and yet here I am…riding in their territory just to save your ass. You better be grateful for it you hear me…_

Right in front of her she could see Titans moving about in the trees and they were so many of them. Narissa couldn't help the shiver of fear that was rising through her at the sight of their grotesque forms in front of her and then a light flashed within the trees causing her to blink.

"What was that?" she found herself saying.

"DISPERSE NOW," Commander Erwin shouted from somewhere, "THE ENEMY HAS ASSUMED TITAN FORM. FIND EREN, YMIR AND SARAH AND GET THEM OUT OF HERE."

Narissa followed her squad as they rode past the Titans quickly however she could hear screaming voices coming from around her around the people that were caught and eaten by the Titans but still Narissa rode on, firmer than ever to find her friend.

"Battle is not an option," the Commander yelled, " _Locate, recover and retreat that is an order._ "

"Ground up the horses," Captain Hannes yelled from in front of her.

Narissa quickly unhooked her handle and activated her ODM shooting her hooks into the trees and with a burst of gas she was in the air, her cloak dancing around her body as she was following after the man her eyes searching the trees around herself.

"First thing we need to do is pinpoint the enemy," Captain Hannes yelled to them, "They are fleeing through the woods so stay sharp… _now break."_

"Yes sir," they all yelled all of them flying into a direction.

Narissa was glancing around herself, as she flew through the trees, searching for any sign of her friend or even the enemy that they were hunting but there was nothing at all to be seen around her other than the giant trees, their green leaves and the other soldiers that were with her.

 _Captain Hange said that they will need to stay in this forest to recover their strength. It seems transforming into a Titan is an exhausting process. Could the flare have warned them of our coming and they decided to make a break for it? Could they even be still in this forest and there was that light from earlier…_

The scream of a Titan echoed through the trees. Narissa turned her head at the direction it came from.

 _A Titan screech…this way,_ she thought.

She spun around and headed straight at the direction toward it came from. She noticed Jean not too far away from where she was also heading in that direction so that must mean something to the Scouts…

 _It could be the one who transformed earlier is drawing us with it's cry…_

Then the trees cleared and a Titan was there, hanging from the trees. It was a short seven meter with a overly large head and short body. It's mouth was set in a permanent growl and it's black eyes were staring straight toward the approaching soldiers. Narissa instantly placed her gear on reverse and landed against a tree on the left of the Titan, looking at it.

"…Actually Ymir," Connie was saying, "She is one of the people they took?"

Then he turned his gaze toward the Titan he had landed beside of.

"What the hell happened?" Connie asked, "Where is everybody else? Is Eren okay?"

Ymir's Titan ignored him as it's gaze seems to turn away from him landing upon her, causing Narissa to flinch lightly at the stare but Ymir simply moved on looking at Jean, Mikasa, Sasha…

 _So…this is Ymir,_ Narissa thought looking at the Titan, _Her Titan form at least….i don't remember her well but I did know that she was always hanging around Krista…_

"Ymir what's the deal did you managed to get away?" Jean asked, "Which direction they took?"

"Give us a sign," Sasha asked her, "Anything to go on."

Ymir ignored them all, as she continued to glance around at the soldiers…almost like she was searching for something…

 _What is she doing? Did she escape and is searching to see if the others are nearby?_ Narissa thought "YMIR, I know you don't remember me but where is Sarah and Eren? Are they still in the forest?"

Ymir ignored her as she continued to look around them all, looking at them one after the other.

 _No…it's not that,_ Narissa thought looking at the Titan who was continuing to look around them all, _something's off…Is she looking for them or…_

"Ymir," Krista yelled, "I'm so happy that you're okay."

Ymir's head snapped in her direction at the sound of her voice and Narissa knew what was going to happen before it did. Ymir jumped from where she was hanging on, at incredible speed she noticed and swallowed Krista whole before starting to jump away from them, branch by branch quickly getting away from where they were.

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE, MOVE YOUR ASSES," Jean yelled.

Narissa jumped after him and the group was now following after the Ymir Titan form who was getting farther and farther away from them. Narissa couldn't help but grit her teeth as she glared at the small form in the distance.

 _Ymir…you damn traitor…_

There was another burst of yellow light coming from in front of them, as Narissa found her eyes widening staring at the large Armored Titan that was now running away from them with Ymir perched upon it's back and another smaller form who was carrying Eren on his back and…

 _Was that Sarah under his arm?_

"Damn it," Narissa growled.

"He's getting away with Eren and Sarah," Armin said, desperation in his voice.

"GET ON YOUR HORSES AND FOLLOW THEM," Captain Hannes yelled, "WE ARE NOT LETTNIG THEM GET AWAY."

Narissa glanced at the Armored Titan running away from them before whistling for her horse and in no time at all, everyone was upon their horses and were galloping hard aiming straight toward where the Titan was running.

 _You're not getting away Reiner, Berthold Ymir…you are not leaving with my best friend…_

* * *

 **Narissa and the others chase after the enemy...**

 **Next Time:** Chase

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	32. Chase

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A small flower dancing in the wind as a bloodied Scout uniform was on the ground beside it.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chase

 **SARAH POV**

When I became conscious once more, all I could hear around me were the screams of the Titans around me as well as the feel of something soft pushing against my side. I slowly blinked myself into awareness making to move my arm but they wouldn't move at all. I chanced a glance around me finding that they were tied behind my back and there was a pain around my lips and binding down revealed that there was piece of clothe wrapped around it there. I let out a grunt from where I was lying down taking a chance to look around me.

There was a piece of light shining from where I was noticing instantly that what I was in where fingers which were clamped down hard around me… but they were sipping light slipping through, and from the color of the light, it must be later than when…

 _Air…no air…_

 _A large arm around my throat softly breaking the air from my throat…_

 _Eren struggling to fight Reiner's own hold…_

"Eren…stop," a voice from my right spoke out.

I turned toward it, finding Berthold there with Eren on his back but Eren was pushing against the soft flesh that was in front of him as if he was trying to pry the massive hands that was keeping us in open. Eren didn't seem to want to do that at all for he was pushing open with all his might and Berthold was gritting his teeth as keeping himself from moving. They looked quite comical if the situation was anything else than what we were in right about now.

I can hear voices from outside of where we were and the sounds of hooves. Could it be that someone had actually came to rescue us? That was actually quicker than I expected it to be…

"She's screwed either way…," Krista's voice yelled out.

I turned my head toward the direction the voice came from.

 _Krista is here…what the hell was she doing here?_

"Look, there are only so many lives that I can give a damn about," Mikasa answered, "Cruel, but that's the world our enemy give us when they destroyed the Wall so I don't have any heartstring left for you to thug on. You want compassion, _move on._ You want fair, _thought shit._ Time's wasting, pick your side Krista, whose it gonna be? Eren or _the bitch I'm going to kill_."

The cold rage that was in Mikasa's voice surprised me to tell you the truth. I thought I knew how it felt like to be on Mikasa's bad side when I saw how angry she was against the Garrison back in Trost but it seems I barely knew her at all.

There was Titan screech.

"Ymir Stop," Krista yelled, "Look at her face, she means it. Don't make a move."

 _Ymir actually went after Krista…,_ I thought, _Must be after they knocked me and Eren out…Even so…we can't wait here…I need to find a way to leave this place…_

Grunting lightly, I pulled myself up to my knees despite the jostling going around me and I saw Eren's eyes turning toward me when he noticed that I was awake. The boy tried to say something but whatever it was it was muffled.

"Sarah," Berthold spoke out noticing me.

Seeing that he was distracted by be, Eren suddenly started to fight back again, pushing against Berthold who had him on his back. Berthold quickly gained control again, thought it looked like it was a poor advised control.

"Quite struggling," Berthold snapped at him, "It's not going to help anyone here…"

" _Good luck talking sense into that one Berthold,"_ a familiar voice spoke from the outside of our entrapment, "Once a fire has been light under him that's it. Getting Eren to calm down is a lost cause take my words for it. I've been on the receiving ends of it more time than I could count. What do you say we teach him patience? Come on, Show yourself."

 _Jean…you're here too?_

"Give him back," Mikasa growled from another location, the one that seem closer to where I was, "Both him and Sarah right now."

"Guys, really?" Connie's voice spoke out, "This is some kind of joke right? NO way this is you…You've been lying to us this whole time… _we were supposed to be comrades."_

"They're still are," Sasha pipped up, "This is all just a big misunderstanding, right?"

"I don't think it is Sasha," another familiar voice spoke out, "What they did in Trost is proof enough. All of our friends that died that day…and yet…to think you two were responsible…"

 _That voice…Narissa,_ I thought shocked, _I thought she was part of the Garrison. What is she doing outside of the Walls?_

"Where do you think you're going?" Jean asked, "You can't keep running forever. We're not going to let that happen rat bastards. Through thick and thin, we slept under the same roof as soldiers for three years. Matter of fact, the way you slept were an artform Berthold. I'm not kidding, we loved getting up in the morning to see in what crazy contortion your body was. Used to predict the weather with them."

Then his voice got somber, and to my ears he sounded like he was close to crying somehow.

"How d'you do it Berthold?" he asked, "Must not have a care in the world…sleeping side by side with your victims… _yet you slept like a log."_

"Was it all just an act to you?" Connie asked sounding similar to Jean, "What about the way we used to talk about surviving this together. About growing old and looking back at the worst of this over drinks Remember? Was it all bullshit? Answer me, go on…what were you trying to do?"

From where I was, I chanced a glance toward where Berthold was and the young man had his head hiding behind his arms, but I could see his shoulders trembling. He wasn't saying anything but I could tell that whatever Connie was saying had affected him somehow…probably, what they were all saying.

" _That doesn't matter anymore,"_ Mikasa coldly interrupted, "Just focus on opening the traitor's neck. Hesitate for a moment and we forfeit both Eren and Sarah. Who cares what they pretended to be. This was their choice."

Berthold grit his teeth.

"No...you're wrong," he yelled, "Who choses to be this? Huh… _tell me_?"

There was a silence as I stared at the young man that was beside me. That was the first time I saw him showing such emotions upon his features.

"Who do you think I am?" Berthold continued, "You think that this is what we aspired to be. People loath us and why wouldn't they? _We're monsters_. We deserved to die for the thing that we've done. We're lost, we might live for a thousand years and never know peace. Try to imagine it that darkness. The only light was our brief time as soldiers…It wasn't a lie. We're not who we said we were but it wasn't an act, we genuinely thought of you as our comrades."

The look on his face seem to darken again.

"We're not stupid," he said, "I know I have no right to ask for forgiveness…but please, I beg of you, if we were comrades… _someone find us."_

I stared at the young man, eyes wide at what he was saying. There were so many things that I wanted to ask him about this so many things I wished that I could say, however with my mouth completely bound, there was nothing I could say other than muffled grunts and muffled words. Something about what he was saying made me think of Maria, thought for what reason I couldn't phantom as to why.

"Give them back," Mikasa spoke, her voice cold, "I won't ask again."

"I'm sorry," Berthold answered, "But I can't. One of you will have to do it…one of you, will have to stain your hand in my blood."

 _Is that the only way it can be?_ I thought, _killing each other…all this time…_

"HEY GET DOWN FROM HERE," a voice yelled from somewhere, "JUMP DAMN YOU, GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE."

I can hear the sound of ODM being used and the sound of running increased some more before there was a sudden slamming sound outside and the place where Eren, Berthold and I were in rattled terribly as I was thrown against the flesh that was behind me gritting my teeth at what was happening around me but there was no way of knowing exactly what was going on outside. I heard Krista screaming somewhere as well as a Titan's screech which I will have to guess to be Ymir's…

Just what was going on out there?

* * *

 **NO POV**

When Narissa saw the swarm of Titan that was heading straight for them, the girl couldn't help but feel her eyes widening in shock and horror at what she was seeing but more even, was the sight of the Scout Commander leading the charge straight for them with the MPs that were with him as well as a large number of Titans coming straight for them.

 _Is he insane?_ Narissa thought looking at the sight in shock, _Is he trying to reclaim them or kill them?_

"JUMP DAMN YOU," Captain Hannes shouted from where he was, "GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE."

Narissa chanced one last glance toward the locked hands of the Armored Titan in front of her, the place where she knew Sarah and Eren were before gritting her teeth and jumping away, using her gear to lower herself down toward the ground and at her horse which was galloping nearby. As soon as she had gotten upon the horse, however she pulled upon the reign to stop from going after the Armored Titan which had started to speed up rather than slowing down aiming straight for the incoming horde.

"Phel, pull back now," Captain Hannes yelled at her snapping her out of her stupor.

"Sir," she yelled.

 _Shit, can't get distracted right now…I have to focus on the mission_

Narissa led her horse away as she followed after her Captain, heart hammering in her chest at the pure madness of what was going on around her. The young woman followed after Hannes and came to a stop beside the man as they were all staring straight at the Armored Titan which was pin down from the amount of the Titans that had taken hold of his body, yet his hand stayed right around his neck protecting Berthold who had Eren and Sarah in there with him.

The Armored Titan let out a roar as it struggled against the hold that was upon his body.

 _This is insane,_ Narissa thought staring out in shock.

"Is this hell…?" she heard Jean whisper from somewhere.

"Not yet," Commander Erwin said, riding past them, "But it will be. All soldiers _charge._ We've come to the moment of truth. Mankind's fate is decided now."

Erwin horse had come to a stop in front of all of them, and then he raised his sword in the air.

"There is no future in which we reclaim these lands without Eren or Sarah nor they ever will be. GO, recover them from the Armored Titan and retreat."

He saluted at them before aiming his sword forward charging all the while shouting to the top of his lungs.

" _YOUR HEART AND SOUL TO THE CAUSE,"_

With that Erwin aimed straight into the battle in front of them. With no warning, the Scouts followed charging toward the battle yelling and Narissa found herself charging after them yelling out as well as she was holding upon her own sword in her palm. The Armored Titan was dead ahead and since he was stuck…he will be forced to use his arms and that was when they will strike…

A small problem thought...

They were a mob of Titans between them and it.

 _No sacrifice, no victory, right dad?_ Narissa thought.

Then, the Armored Titan removed the hand from around his throat, smashing the Titans away from himself and it was then that Narissa saw Sarah. The girl had her hand bound but Berthold had a grip upon her clothing so that she wouldn't fall to her death and from the wide eyes the girl has, she probably wasn't expecting this.

Then Sarah did something stupid.

She kicked at Berthold's leg causing the boy to scream from the look of it and then, she was dropped and Narissa feel her eyes widen in terror.

"NO, SARAH," she screamed.

From somewhere in front of her, she heard Commander's Erwin voice shouting at them to advance but then there was a scream of pain and yells of terror. Not too far from where she was, she saw the Commander hanging from the mouth of a Titan who was dragging him away, blood flying everywhere.

"COMMANDER ERWIN,"

However, the Commander's words shook Narissa to her core.

" _I SAID ADVANCE_ GODDAMN IT _,"_ he yelled brandishing his left arm forward, sword glinting in the afternoon sun, " _Your targets right in front of you. DO NOT FALTER."_

Narissa steeled her heart and aimed straight into hell.

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

I can hear the Titan screaming outside and from the last tumbling that I have felt going on around me, I knew that we weren't moving any longer. The Armored Titan was frozen in his tracks and from the looks of it, we weren't going to go anywhere. I leaned back toward where Berthold was, gritting my teeth despite having a piece of clothe tied between my lips to stop me from biting down and transforming into a Titan where I was right now.

Suddenly I feel the large hands that were around us moving and then Berthold hand was upon my clothing drawing my attention toward him. I struggled against the grip but the young man instantly spoke out.

"Do you want to die?" he yelled, "Stop struggling right now."

The hands were removed and bright reddish sunlight of the afternoon sun almost blinded me for a few moments and when my eyes adjusted to the light, I found myself staring down at numerous Titans who were all looking toward where I was, their hungry eyes fixed toward us. I can feel my heart jump into my chest at the sight of them and I can't help but push myself away from them and without ODM gear, the only thing that was stopping me from falling to my death was the grip Berthold had upon my clothing.

I didn't move at all as the Armored Titan powerful arms started to smash into the nearby Titans pushing them away as it let out a powerful roar that was deafening given that his mouth was right above me. I can feel my own nails biting into my skin as I gripped upon my hands which were behind my back like a lifeline at how close to death, I was…

 _Wait…my nails,_ I thought, a sudden idea coming to me, _I can use my nail to cut my skin open…but if I transform now…I can cause Eren and Berthold to be injured and given Eren's state…he won't be able to transform at all…I need him to let me go…_

I turned my gaze toward Berthold whose attention was focused away from me for that moment, as his eyes was looking at the numerous Titans that were around us. I dug my nails into my wrist feeling pain shoot through my arms but thanks to all the chaos going on around us and the thing in my mouth, any noise I made would be quickly swallowed by it. I stabbed my nails against my skin almost feverishly as pain continued to rise through me and then, at the moment, I felt something dripping down my hand…

Without warning, I launched one of my feet straight toward Berthold, catching him in the leg. That surprised the boy causing him to stumble where he was standing and, in that moment, his grip loosened upon me and using that moment, I wretched myself free from his grasp. Eren's eyes who had been drawn to me at that moment widened in horror and he started to yell out something but since he was gagged, he couldn't get anything out other than muffled noise.

I fell from Berthold's grip, feeling my skin grazing against the Armored Titan's skin who was still busy punching at any Titans that were near where he was and that was just what I needed. I was going to use him punching Titan away from himself and that gap was what I would use to transform…

"DAMN IT SARAH," Berthold screamed after me but since I didn't hear him use the ODM gear he has, he didn't come after me.

 _Now, I need to transform,_ I thought looking at the ground that was coming closer ridiculously fast in my free fall, _C'mon, c'mon…_

The ground was getting closer and closer and I continued to frantically tear at my skin…

A sudden spark…

The world exploded in my vision as steam poured out everywhere and then I was no longer Sarah Gray, the human girl that was captured as flesh spun around my body and bones materialized out of nowhere along with muscle, flesh, and gray skin. The world trembled beneath my fallen form but I felt no pain at all except for the sudden vertigo of transitioning from a human mind to the mind and body of a Titan.

Before I could get my bearing however, I felt a weight upon my body and teeth biting into my flesh. I opened my eyes seeing one of the Titans was biting me right into my arm. Letting out a growl, I raised my other hand into a fist before slamming it upon it's face, with all the force I could muster, crushing it into paste as blood and brain matter flew everywhere. My hand was steaming as it had started to heal, the blood of the Titan evaporating from me. Glancing around, I noticed the Armored Titan some feet away from me and they were even more Titan rushing at my direction.

Letting out a growl, I rolled back upon my feet, tightening my hands into fist before I launched straight away from him wanting to put as much distance between me and those Titan as I could. The way things are, I needed to get my bearing before I attempted to do anything else right now. With the Titans coming at me, I launched a fist straight at it causing the Titan to fall back down and used a kick to take care of the other, but they were more coming too causing me to growl in annoyance at just how many Titans they were around us.

"SARAH,"

My head snapped toward the voice. Narissa Phel was riding toward me on a horse. The girl had her blades out and had some Scout member with her as they were all coming toward me. The soldiers launched from their horses aiming straight toward the Titan cutting two of them down, but others got caught in eaten before I could help.

"C'mon, get on my horse and let's get out of here," Narissa yelled at me, "Fighting right now is not an option."

I gave her a nod to show that I heard her but my attention was drawn toward another group of Titans that were coming at me from behind. Letting out a roar, I launched one of my arms into a wide arc, spinning as well, throwing all of the Titans away from where I was causing large amount of dust and destruction everywhere.

 _Easier said than done Narissa,_ I thought, _Those Titans don't know the meaning of giving up…and without an ODM gear, I'll be helpless out there…If only I could distract them somehow…_

A spark flashed in my mind.

 _Distract them…_ that's it, I thought.

I let out a growl before bursting from the nape area of my Titan. My hands were no longer tied in a rope now since it was burned up in the heat of my Titan's body. I can feel the flesh of the Titan sticking to face and my body meaning that I was still connected to it in some way. I glanced down toward the ground noticing Narissa there before turning my gaze toward the approaching Titans.

"You best come get me," I yelled at her, "I don't have a gear."

The sound of an ODM being used drew my attention and then Narissa was there as well as a Scout member. The two had their swords out and Narissa was looking at me, her eyes going over the flesh that was stuck to me and of the Titan she was standing on.

"Let's cut her out," The Scout said.

" _No wait_ ," I yelled at him, "I'm going to use my Titan body as a distraction so that we can escape. They are too many Titans for us to take on…but if I can make them feed upon it, that should give us enough time to get to the horses and get out of here."

"Leave it to you to think of something crazy like that," Narissa said.

"Whatever you're going to do, do it fast," the Scout said, "Cause we're about to be overwhelmed here."

I grunted connecting my eyes to the Titan's once more and despite being outside of the nape, I was connected through its eyes seeing the numerous Titans approaching at where I was, as they were fewer upon the Armored Titan however, he wasn't moving at all, making me briefly wonder why but I didn't let that stop me. I looked at all of the Titans coming at me.

Then I spoke with my human body.

"The large host is right in front of us," I said, "I'm going to throw my Titan body at them and that the same time, the two of you cut me out. Don't worry about injuries, my body will regenerate in time…just get me out of here quickly got it."

"Right," I heard Narissa and the Scout said.

"Get ready," I said, seeing the Titans getting closer now, " _NOW CUT ME OUT."_

My Titan let out a roar before charging straight at the approaching Titan but I didn't see what happened next for the connection between me and it was suddenly cut out and I was violently back in my own mind. Pain surged within my brain causing to wince but I could feel and arm around my waist and that I was flying through the air before and harsh landing upon the ground was jarring me back into the world. I winced in pain glancing around myself seeing that I had landed upon the grass and that Narissa was beside me her horse was where she was.

"It worked," she said looking at the direction behind us, "It actually worked."

I turned my attention at where she was looking and found a mass of Titan all fighting to eat a Gray form that was completely covered in steam. There was so much steam that I couldn't really see much from where I was.

"C'mon let's get on my horse and get out of here," Narissa told me helping me to my feet and pushing me on the horse.

As I was climbing, it was then I noticed my half of my left arm was missing and steam was rising from it. I stared at the limb as Narissa climbed upon the horse and set it up to a gallop putting distance between us and the Titan.

"What happened to my arm?"

"That was my fault," she said, "I was kind of frantic to get you out of here since we were rushing at a horde of Titan on your back."

I glanced at her.

"Just what are you doing here Narissa?" I asked her, "Your part of the Garrison…"

"Look," Narissa cut off, "We'll have all the time in the world to catch up when we get out of this mess. Just hang on to me and don't let go."

She let out a soft snort.

"Never thought I'll see the day when I'm the one saving your ass."

I did as she asked and she galloped away from the Titans behind us. I leaned against her back, hold upon her body with my right arm. I can smell the familiar smell of her form against me and somehow, tears were falling from my eyes knowing that she was here in front of me.

The Narissa from a month ago back in Trost would have never being out here.

 _She's changed so much…_ I thought, _We both have…_

"ALL SOLDIERS RETREAT,"

It was Commander's Erwin's voice and I raise up my head looking at the direction his voice was. They were all galloping away from the Armored Titan who was still pinned where he was and I noticed Berthold just hanging upon it's form…and there was no Eren with him.

"We've got Eren back," I said.

"Good," Narissa said, "Now we make a full sprint for the Wall."

* * *

 **The two have been rescued...**

 **Next Time:** Genesis of Void

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	33. Genesis of Void

**Hey guys, here is the next update. Happy new years to all.**

 **Anyway enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah with tears upon her cheeks as she was holding a rose in her hands, blood dripped between her fingers.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Genesis of Void

The hooves of the horses thundered against the ground as we were starting to put some distance between us and the Armored Titan. I held on to Narissa's body with my good arm while the other was generating steam as it was healing. I never imagined that it would be Narissa of all people that would be here helping me out of this situation, considering the last time that we parted way but then again, it's been a month since we last saw each other, I guess she had dealt with it in her own way.

I glanced around myself taking the notice of the many soldiers around me, my eyes searching for a sight of Eren and Mikasa within them but I couldn't find them at all. I knew we must have Eren back since Commander Erwin had issued a retreat order. I simply hoped that they were nearby so that I could catch a glimpse of them and seeing them might bring me some relief that I didn't even know I needed. But there were not near me at all, so I simply turned my head forward once more, so that Narissa can take me away from here…

A shadow flew past us causing a massive dance of winds in my hair, and I glanced upward feeling my eyes widen lightly at the Titan that was spinning in the air in front of us before it slammed down upon the ground causing the earth to shake under us, raising a lot of dust and steam from it's body. Narissa pulled upon the reins of the horse in instinct to avoid hitting anything and I can hear her exclamation of shock as she did so.

"What the hell…?" she yelled out.

I instantly turned my head back toward the direction of where Reiner was and I feel my eyes widen in shock as I saw him threw his arm forward and sending a Titan flying in our general direction. The Titan spun in the air as it flew before crashing down near where I was causing a whole lot of dust and destruction to blow everywhere.

"He is tossing Titans," I yelled.

Narissa glanced back toward Reiner as well, holding on the reins of her horse.

"Shit," she growled, "He is blocking our escape route."

More Titans were being tossed at our direction one after the other, scattering the soldiers around us and Narissa was doing her best to keep her horse calm throughout the madness that was going on around us but it was an harder job for the horse keep raising it's from legs as the world trembled around us and I was simply doing all I can not too fall over which was an harder task than it seems with only one good arm and the other steaming under the regeneration.

"Hang on," Narissa yelled at me, "I'll get us out of here…"

I held on to her and she launched the horse forward aiming through the large amount of dust and Titan steam that was around us. I held on to her looking toward the front of us but visibility was low in that moment, with only the sun seemingly making it through and all around me I can hear the screams of the people going on around me as well as the thundering steps of Titans that were all around us. I hung on to Narissa's body but then as soon as we got through the steam, three Titans stood in front of us, all of them turning toward us at the same time.

"Shit," Narissa yelled pulling on the reins, "Damn you Reiner…"

One of the Titans instantly aimed its' hand down toward where we are, but his hand only swapped at the horse side, sending the animal flying along with us. I spun through the air for a few moments before landing down upon the grassy ground, rolling until I came to a stop. I groaned in pain, shaking the throbbing feeling from my body I slowly pulled myself up.

"Narissa," I whispered.

I quickly started glancing around and found her not too far away from where I was, her Garrison cloak moving slowly as she was getting back up. I approached toward the girl and kneeled beside her.

"Narissa…Narissa," I yelled.

Blood dripped from the side of her head as she looked toward me. The girl had a small grin upon her lips.

"Sorry, Sarah," she said, "I must have hit my head against something…I don't feel so good…"

I glanced back toward the Titans approaching toward us noticing that they were still coming at us, thought I am glad that they were normal Titans meaning they won't start acting weird as shit whenever they had found a group.

I turned my gaze toward the approaching Titans.

 _I need to transform again,_ I thought, _If I'm a full fourteen meter again, I can get the two of us out of here and protect her._

I raised my good hand toward my lips and bit down as hard as I could, feeling the blood dripping in between my fingers, but there was no transformation. I stared down at my hand in shock seeing the wound. It was throbbing painfully, as blood dripped in between my fingers but they were no transformation at all. I don't understand, I have a goal in mind, that should have triggered the transformation…so why…

My eyes instantly went toward my other arm, the one that was still steaming from the regeneration…

 _No…don't tell me…_

Flashback

 _The two looked at me, and I stared back at them silent._

" _you get me," Ymir continued staring at Eren, "You ain't going to accomplish anything by being a dumbass."_

" _She's right," Reiner said, "Unlike Sarah, you can't change into Titans anyway with the state you're in. The body can only take so much. It's a little preoccupied with healing at the moment."_

" _Nice try," Eren spoke, his voice barely holding back his contempt, "you expect me to seat here and take the words of a liar."_

End of flashback

 _He was actually telling the truth that time,_ I thought, _Meaning, as long as this arm is healing…I…I can't transform…_

I turned my gaze toward the approaching Titans before instantly turning at Narissa who was on her knees now, however, she didn't seem to be getting on her feet anytime soon. Gritting my teeth, I ran toward the girl, picking her arm and throwing it over my shoulder.

"C'mon, we've got to run," I told her, as we were hobbling away from the approaching behemoths.

 _We've got no chance outrunning Titans on foot…,_

"Look like you're the one…saving me again," Narissa spoke her voice hoarse, "And I rode…all the way out here…to save your ass…and now you're the one…saving me."

"Well if it wasn't for me," I huffed at her, "You would have never made it through graduation."

Narissa let out a huffing laugh.

"Yeah," she huffed, "It was always you…picking up after my slack. Making sure that I understood what do to…even teaching my sorry ass how to use the ODM…if it wasn't for you, I would have never become a soldier…"

"Narissa…," I said.

"I was an only child…," she continued, "But…I'm glad that I met you Sarah…it made me think that…that was how it felt to have a sister…and you are the one that is giving the strength I need right now…"

"Huh?"

Suddenly Narissa pulled my arm from her shoulder and shoved me forward. I found myself stumbling forward and landing down upon my front painfully. I let out a grunt of pain before turning around looking back at Narissa whose back was facing me now. Her Garrison green cloak danced in the wind as she stood there with both of her blades out facing the approaching Titans in front of me.

" _What the hell do you think you're doing_?" I yelled at her.

Narissa turned her gaze toward me, and despite the blood that was dripping down her face, she gave me a bright smile.

"Sarah… _thank you_."

And then she charged, aiming straight toward the approaching Titans that were in front of her. I had my eyes wide in shock as I stared the girl who launched herself upward using her gear and was now fighting against the Titans who were all now focused upon her. I quickly pulled myself up upon my feet biting into my hand again wishing so desperately that I could transform but there was no feeling at all only pain and blood that was gushing down my hand. I stared at the girl as she spun through the air, narrowly avoiding the Titan's hand that made to grab at her.

 _She can't do this alone…_

Bite…

 _I have to help…_

Bite…

 _Please…_

Bite…

 _Please…change…_

Bite…

Narissa was caught in one of the large hand…

 _No…No like this…_

Bite…Bite…

 _I can't let her die like this…_

Bite…

The Titan bit down upon Narissa's body…blood splattering everywhere…

 _Not like this…_

My good hand was lowered down toward the ground…blood dripping down my fingers and into the grass I was standing on…I stood there looked at the Titan as he continued to eat my friend until she was completely gone, except for a tattered piece of a Garrison cloak which had drifted down toward the ground…

I fell down upon my knees, completely frozen at what had just happened.

Frozen…

 _Why?_

My mother's face appeared within my mind…as well as the large boulder which crushed her…

 _Why is it that whenever someone that I love is in danger…_

My squad member from Trost appeared within my mind…

 _People who placed their lives on my hand…_

Narissa's smiling face despite the blood that was falling from the cut on her head…

 _Someone who trusted me…_

The Titans were now focused upon me as they were approaching…

 _That I couldn't do anything to help them?_

A massive hand was coming down my direction, their large forms shadowing the reddish sunlight of the afternoon sun however, I never felt their grasp against me for the Titans seems to have frozen somehow, almost like something else had drawn their attention.

I looked up toward the Titans, feeling confused before they suddenly all turned away from where I was and then they were running, toward something ahead of where I was and it wasn't just the Titans that were in front of me either. All of the Titans that were around us all, seems to have all the same idea of attacking a single Titan that was not too far away from where I was on my knees.

I stared at the direction completely taken aback at what was happening at the moment…

 _What's going on…why are they all…?_

It would seem everyone on the battlefield was frozen at this sudden bizarre behavior of the Titans that were facing against however, as I was watching them, I caught sight of both Eren and Mikasa, running away from where the Titans had gone, Eren carrying his sister upon his back however, my eyes turned at the direction of where the blood-soaked tattered Garrison cloak was on the ground.

I approached toward it, before kneeling down toward where it was I picked up the cloak, tears still falling from my eyes as I was looking at it, still in shock about what had happened. The sounds of hooves drew my attention and I found Sasha there, and she had a spare horse with her.

"Sarah, get on," she said, "We're leaving."

"Sasha," I said looking at the girl.

"C'mon," the brown-haired girl told me.

I gave her a light nod before climbing upon the horse myself. I took hold of the reins and urged the horse forward following after Sasha who was in front of me. I chanced a glance behind me taking notice of the Armored Titan not too far away from where we were but he was completely swarmed by the Titans almost like the Titans had been switched to our side and were attacking our enemies. I caught a glimpse of another Titan upon his shoulder, a crouching one too as it was fighting off the Titans that were biting at them…

 _Must be Ymir,_ I thought.

Those were the last sight of those trio I saw before we left them behind. I turned my attention forward focusing myself upon riding toward the direction of the Wall following after the rest of the Scouts that were with us…but I barely noticed it for I was still feeling the pain in my chest the death of my friend that weighted heavily upon me.

The Armored Titan didn't follow after us.

* * *

 **Trost District**

 **A few days later.**

I was seating inside the room, looking out toward the window at the place. The sun was shining quite brightly in the sky today from where I was and I could hear the voices of the people going on about their days. I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a skirt and my hair was falling down around my face and shoulders since I didn't bother tying it back since I was confided into this room ever since our return from the Eren rescue operation.

I was still in my civilian clothing, since I was given no orders at all ever since our return to the Wall. With Commander Erwin at the hospital and many people being injured from our excursion outside of the Walls, I was simply sent to this room and told to stay there until our superiors talk with me. I obeyed without saying anything at all and since then, I have been staying here.

To think, all that had happened with Reiner and Berthold, the Beast Titan, Ymir and all these deaths took place just under two days… and Narissa's features flashed within my mind. When I had first confined to this room, I had simply curled up into a ball upon the bed and cried myself to sleep, holding upon the bloodied Garrison cloak. I hated myself that I wasn't able to do anything to save her…, that I was powerless to do anything while my friend…the girl that I had become as close as a sister to me died…and I couldn't do anything about it.

I stared down at my hands which were upon my laps, both of my hands. My arm had regenerated while I was sleeping and the wounds, I had made in my right hand had healed up too, not even a scar remained of how badly I teared into them with my teeth in my desperation to transform during that hellish day…

 _How ironic…after everything there isn't even a scar…_

I took hold of the knife that was seating beside my plate of food and stared at the reflecting face that was upon it. My eyes looked dead in the reflection, like all of the emotions that were behind them had disappeared leaving only an empty husk. Those eyes reminded me of Mikasa's eyes when I found her in Trost after Eren had died…like all the hope was gone from within it.

 _Is that how I looked like now…_ I thought, _lifeless…_

I lowered the bladed edge toward the scar less skin of my right hand…

"What the fuck do you think you're doing with that knife?"

I instantly turned my attention toward the voice. A familiar short man was standing at the entrance of the room dressed in a black suit. His face was set in a permanent scowl as he was glaring at my general direction.

I blinked at him, surprised at his entrance since I didn't even hear the door open. Captain Levi had his arms crossed above his chest as he walked into the room. He had a light limp in his walk, but other than that, he looked pissed off. Now that I think about it, his expression was the same when I saw him in the courtroom during Eren's trial.

"Are you cutting yourself?" he asked, "Making a wound so you can transform into a giant bitch so that you could escape from here?"

 _He's got a foul mouth,_ I thought.

"No sir," I said placing the knife back upon the table thought inwardly, the idea of cutting myself did pass through my head for a split second.

Captain Levi didn't seem to buy my answer, however as his glare seems to become even more pronounced but he didn't say anything at all.

"The Commander wants to see you," he said, "So follow me."

I nodded at him, standing up from where I was seating before following after him. It was a quiet ride in the carriage and Captain Levi didn't seem like he was in any moods for small talk so I kept my mouth shut. It turned out we only had to go for a short while before we reached the hospital and room where the Commander was staying. Levi opened the door and entered along with me.

Commander Erwin was seating up on his bed. He had a light beard across his face now as he seems to be fully awake and alert. He wasn't alone in the room either, for Command Pixis was there as well. The duo seems to have been conversing when we entered and they both stopped in their talks when Levi and I entered inside the room.

"You brought her good," Erwin said looking at me.

Those sharp blue eyes seem to gaze straight through me. For Commander Pixis to be here as well, they must be going to decide what they were going to do with me. I saluted the Garrison Commander before coming to stand inside the room as Levi closed the door behind him.

"I remember you," Commander Pixis spoke out looking at me, "You were one of the Cadets that was with Cadet Yeager during the Trost Recovery Operation…a Cadet Sarah Gray, correct?"

"Yes sir," I answered him.

"You also are in possession of the ability to transform into a Titan, just like that young man," Commander Pixis said, "And it would also seem that the Colossal and the Armored Titan are the same as well…as well as this Ymir girl."

I nodded.

"Compared to Eren however, you don't seem all that surprised to have that power either," Commander Erwin started drawing my eyes toward him, "Hange had your records pulled up and you said that you were born in the capital but no one could find any trace of your family even in orphanage…and you don't seem to be from the Underground District either."

"I was born in the Capital," I answered him, "But…, Gray isn't the name that was placed upon my birth certificate…it was my mother's maiden name."

"Your mother's?" Erwin asked.

I nodded.

"Roselyn Gray," I repeated, "That was my mother's name but everyone just call her Rose…she died five years ago in Shingashina. As far as I know, we were just visiting her sister Maria Gray, the woman who raised me after the incident until I joined the Cadet Corps three years ago."

"So, Gray isn't your name then?" Levi asked.

"My name is Sarah Natalova Reyne," I told him, revealing my full name, "That was the name I was born with."

Commander Pixis reacted to the name.

"Reyne?" he repeated, "The sweet wines Reyne?"

Levi looked at the man.

"You know them?" he asked.

"Not personally but their wines are always top class," Commander Pixis said with a light nod of his head, "their brand are one of my favorites. It's always a good day when I get a delivery from the capital."

Commander Erwin actually let out a sigh at that. It was common knowledge among the troops that Commander Pixis was a heavy drinker. The man then turned his gaze back toward me.

"Then…your power…. where does it came from?" he asked, "Does the Reyne even know about it?"

I shook my head.

"I doubt it," I said, "Maria told me that it was a secret that was in my mother' side of the family. However, come to think of it, my mother hardly talked about her family at all even Maria barely mentioned them. But I do know that my uncle, Markus Gray was part of the Survey Corps at one point but other than that…that's all that I know."

Erwin stayed silent for a few moments, thinking about it as Commander Pixis let out a sigh. Levi stayed silent as well and I was mulling over what I knew. I was right in thinking that I knew very little about my mother's family since anyone always barely talk about them and with only me alive as far as I knew…Maria seems to think that I was a worthy successor to the Titan power and she was dying from what she say…

 _It's not like there is anything else for me to say about it,_ I thought, _Everyone I could even ask about it are dead…the only people that even knew about it are Berthold and Rein…_

I stilled Berthold's words from that day coming back to me.

" _I really thought you would be the one to join us instead of Ymir…but I guess you really didn't know anything even if you are the Gray Titan…or related to Ashler…"_

 _Ashler?_

I looked up at the Commander.

"There is something else I want to say," I spoke drawing their attention back at me, "Anyway, it's more like something Berthold let slip out when he thought I was knocked out but I managed to hear it anyway. He mentioned the name Ashler…and I wondered if any of you have ever heard a name like that before."

"Ashler?" Pixis said frowning, "Doesn't ring a bell…"

"Ashler," Levi said, "There was someone in the Underground with that name."

I stared at the man, surprised.

"There is?" Erwin asked him.

"Yes," Levi said, "He had a small shop, a weapon smith…or something like that. He didn't talk about himself much but then again, in the underground, most don't. Oi, girl you sure that's the name he said."

I nodded.

"It is."

Levi continued to stare at me for few more moments before turning his gaze away.

"Even so, there isn't much we can do about it right now," he said, "You still have the power of a Titan under your belt something you kept hidden from us. Erwin, what exactly are you planning to do with her anyway?"

I glanced at the Commander as well.

"Eren told us that you are on our side," he said, "When he heard that we had you under lock and key he argued that you were on our side and it would seem that what Armin told us matched up with what you revealed here today."

 _Eren and Armin…vouched for me?_

"Despite having the power of a Titan, you don't seem to be involved with our enemies," he continued, "That would give us the benefit of the doubt when dealing with you Sarah. However, what we discussed here won't leave this room at all but they should be no more secrets. If you want our full trust, you are going to give us your full trust as well and that means anything that can give us an edge against the enemy that are waiting for us outside the Walls or the secrets of the Ashler or your family that you can remember… _anything at all, understood_."

I stared at the man, feeling my eyes go wide with surprise at his words.

 _Could he mean…what I think he meant?_

"Does this mean…I get to remains as a Scout?" I asked him.

Erwin nodded.

"Levi, will take control over you," he said glancing at the man, "But only the leaders of the Survey Corps will know about your Titan ability, so we will ask you to give us your strength in reclaiming Wall Maria."

I stared at the man for a few more moments and then gave him a salute.

"Yes sir,"

* * *

 **Sarah get to remains as a Scout...And with this chapter, Season 2 is passed through.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Next Time:** Cabin in the Woods

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	34. Cabin in the Woods

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah leaning on a wooden fence looking out toward the distance.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Cabin in the Woods

The horses galloped quickly through the trail. I was following after Captain Levi as we both left Trost behind early in the morning. After Commander Erwin had allowed me to stay in the Scouts and made me join Levi's team, I returned to my room for the night and then early the next morning, Levi had come to get me telling me to get dressed quickly and he had brought an ODM gear for me.

I had clipped the object on and you wouldn't imagine the relief I've felt having the familiar weight against my body. After so long without wearing it, I was glad to have my gear back in my hands. I was wearing a long brown cloak upon my body to help with the chill of the morning even thought I had long sleeves on. I glanced toward the man that was riding in front of me, feeling completely at lost as to where we were going.

All that he said was that I had to follow him and that's what we were doing right now, riding through a trail that was leading somewhere however, where that could be I had no idea. The sun continued to rise until it was mid morning when Levi slowed his horse down to a trot and I rode right beside him.

"Excuse me, Captain Levi?" I asked, drawing his eyes toward me, "Just where exactly are we going?"

"A safe place," the man answered, "Eren and your other classmate are already there. It's where they have been staying in the past week or so."

I blinked in confusion at him.

"With the result of your rescue attempt, all of the MPs who were outside the Walls lost their lives," Levi continued, "As well as the Garrison troops. Our Regiment is in hot water right now, and with Erwin having lost an arm and the Wall Rose incident, we figured it would be best to have Eren hidden away until things cool down."

I turned my head forward, thinking to myself. I was in a daze when we returned to the Wall after facing Reiner and Berthold, but I hadn't realized that many people had died just so that they could rescue Eren and me.

 _It's always the same cards we've been dealt with ever since the Wall Maria was destroyed. All or nothing…_

"I won't be staying long," Levi continued drawing my eyes toward him, "I just need to explain the situation to the others before leaving."

His gaze turned toward me.

"Erwin is placing a lot of trust on you girl," he said, "You best not let him down."

"I've already told him that I won't keep quiet about what I know anymore," I answered him, "But then again, it's not like I know a whole of things about what's really going on anyway. Reiner and Berthold seem to know more about my Titan than me…"

Levi didn't say anything to me at all the rest of the way there and then the trail turned up giving way to a wooden house. They had a small yard on the side of it and I quickly noticed the cart with the horse hanging by the front of it. There was a tower not too far away from where we were and it looked like someone was there but it was too far away to make out who it was but whoever they were they were armed with a rifle over their shoulders.

Levi descended from his horse and I did the same as well. We anchored our horses in the stable before making our way toward the inside of the house. It was a well-furnished place given that it was in the middle of nowhere and the room had a lived-in place that it lacked. As we walked into the house, a dining room with a large table and many chairs was there and there was a comfortable sofa by the window.

"This place is…homely," I said glancing around.

Levi looked at the ground his eyes narrowed.

"The floor isn't as clean as it should be," he said, "Whoever didn't broom it properly is going to get an earful from me."

I gave the man a surprised glance at the words but didn't say anything at all. Someone walked into the living room, and it was Krista. The blonde girl looked at us and there was surprise upon her face seeing the two of us standing there and I looked back at her. It was strange seeing her face so… _blank_ compared to the warm Krista that always had a smile upon her lips whenever she was with someone. Her eyes took us in.

"Are the others awake yet?" Levi asked.

"Sasha is still sleeping and Mikasa is on watch duty," Krista said, her tone as dead as her expression, "I don't know about the boys yet."

"I'll go wake them up," Levi growled, "IT's this late an they're still in bed."

The small man walked past her and I could hear his steps climbing up the stairs. Krista and I stayed in the room as an awkward silence fell upon the room. Krista didn't seem to be in the mood to speak at all, for she walked toward the kitchen and seems to be making coffee. I heard yelling voices upstairs sounding a lot like Captain Levi and I swore I recognized Jean and Armin among the other voices.

I made my way toward the kitchen as well.

"Mind if I have a cup?" I asked the blonde girl.

"Help yourself,"

I did and took the steaming cup and started blowing upon the hot liquid. I glanced up toward Krista who was looking forlornly down at her cup.

"Krista, is everything okay?" I asked her.

The girl looked up at me.

"That's not my name any longer," she said, her tone still flat yet there was this terseness behind it.

I blinked confused.

"What?"

"From now on, my name is Historia Reiss," she said, her tone unchanging.

 _Reiss…._

The name whispered in my ears and yet there was this familiar tone to it that I couldn't quite place my finger on. Before I could fully form my thoughts, the sounds of footsteps were coming down from downstairs as well as many voices conversating.

"…told you to sweep the floor before we go to bed," Eren was saying.

"I didn't know he was going to show up today," Jean argued back.

"When Captain Levi tell us to do something," Eren argued back, "You do it, no question asked got it."

"Can you two not argue like this," Armin's voice floated in.

"Whatever."

The trio have now stepped into the room all dressed and still looking disgruntled at being woken up by Captain Levi. I wonder what the Captain did to wake them all up this quickly thought. Maybe he had threatened them to clean this entire house with a toothbrush or something. However, the conversation stopped when the trio took sight of me standing there with Krista…Historia.

"Sarah?" Armin said surprised.

"When did you get here?" Eren asked, surprised.

"Morning you three," I told them with a light nod.

It was quite a sight to see them again after so many days by myself in that room lost in my dark thoughts about Narissa and about how I failed to save her. It still weight heavily on me, that much is true however, seeing them alive and well, eased that weight of guilt that I had upon me…if only a slight way.

Captain Levi entered the room now followed along with Sasha.

"Hey Sarah," Sasha greeted me, with a light wave, "Do you have something to eat?"

"Cut the chatter," Levi cut across before more people could talk over each other.

Everyone glanced at him and the man had a light frown upon his face. I don't think I have ever seen him with a different expression other than the permanent scowl that was always present whenever I saw him.

"Alright," he said, "I'm not staying long here so I thought you all need to be brought up to speed with her situation. She is going to join you, staying here with Eren and you rest. You find her something to do in the meantime. I'm sure you all already aware of what she is and Commander Erwin had allowed to stay as a member of the Scout despite all of that."

He looked at all of them.

"Eren," he spoke out addressing the young man, "House cleaning is still your responsibility and having a dirty home is not a good way to improve my mood. Whoever did the sweeping did a pathetic job. Do it all over again. I will return to Trost to meet with Hange and I'll be back either tomorrow or in two days at best. If I return and this house isn't spotless, all of you will bear the weight of that punishment, you included Sarah."

With that the short man walked out of the house and closed the door behind him. When he was gone, Sasha let out a sigh.

"I don't think that man will ever stop being intimidating," she said.

"You know, I don't think I've seen him crack a smile once," Jean said crossing his arms.

"I don't think it's in his personality to smile," the girl said.

Kri…Historia walked past me and out of the room ignoring everyone completely. I leaned my head to the side looking at her back. Just what was going on with this girl? She was…so different than what I remembered of her.

"What's going on with her?" I asked.

Armin gave me a small pat on the shoulder.

"You've missed quite a bit," he said.

"Say where is Mikasa Sasha?" Eren asked, "I checked your room on the way down but she wasn't there."

"I think she took watch duty this morning,"

"She is supposed to still be resting," Eren sighed.

Armin and I left the group behind as he had started to fill me in on what I had missed during the time that I was not with them. He told me what had happened when they went in Stohess and faced the Female Titan which turned out to be Annie of all people. I knew she had joined the MPs after the Trost invasion but other than that I'd never seen her at all. Turns out her, Berthold and Reiner were all from the same area outside of the Walls and since we've dealt with Reiner and Berthold and Annie was locked away in a crystal, there was nothing we could even learn about her and even question her about what she knows about the outside world.

Later, the entire group was seating around the table eating breakfast together along with Mikasa who had joined us from her watch. The girl looked at my direction when she entered and give me a light nod of acknowledgment, one I returned with a light smile. Then, I turned my attention toward Armin.

"Armin, Eren," I called out, drawing their attention toward me, "I heard from the Commander that I have the two of you to thank for vouching for me."

"Well you were on our side," Eren said, "Didn't seem right to have you face consequences after not even being part of Reiner's group."

"Well it's mostly thanks to Narissa really," Armin said, drawing my eyes toward him, "She was the one who told me about you having family inside the Walls. She was the one who managed to convince the Commander about you and I only helped when I could."

I stayed silent for a moment thinking about it. So Narissa was the one who convinced them about my innocence. The memories of what happened out there in Titan territory started to flash within my mind as well as Narissa's last words to me.

" _Sarah…thank you."_

"Yo, Sarah," Jean spoke out, "So it's true that you can transform into a Titan like Eren then?"

I glanced at the boy, giving him a light nod.

"Eren told us what happened out there with Reiner and Berthold at least before we arrived to rescue you and whatnots," the taller boy said, "However, from what I understand, how long have you known you were a Titan anyway."

"Since before I joined the Cadets," I answered simply, "Even if I wasn't one, I was still planning to join anyway."

I gave him an empty stare.

"Before I joined however, I knew that the Armored and Colossal Titans were like me," I continued, deciding to reveal the truth that I have kept quiet for years now, "human that could transform but…I had no idea of who they were. The only reason I knew however was because I knew the difference between intelligent and non-intelligent Titan."

An image of Maria flashed within my mind.

"At least…someone made sure I knew."

"So after Eren was revealed," Sasha asked, "You never thought to tell us?"

"And what was I supposed to say?" I retorted dryly, "After they reacted to Eren's reveal, and they threatened to have him executed just because they were so afraid of him. The people inside the Walls are so close minded about the truth that they rather live in a cage instead of trying to find a way out of this nightmare…"

"But you were there with us," Mikasa said, speaking for the first time since she had entered, "Back then…you stayed right there by Eren's side when they had us under threat of death."

I looked up at her. Mikasa was staring back at me with her obsidian eyes and there was a trace of curiosity within them.

"Well," I shrugged my shoulders, "I didn't want Eren to face all of that alone…if he was like me, then all the more reason to help in anyway I could."

 _But more ever…I was angry at them,_ I thought to myself thinking back to the time we were surrounded by the Garrison soldiers and seeing the fear in their eyes, _Angry at their close mindness…_

The image of Eren on his knees in the courtroom as they were all staring at him, judging him…

 _Angry at their fear of change…angry that they would rather cower inside the Walls than fight back to retake this world we lost…_

* * *

Following the breakfast, Sasha went out on guard duty while the rest of us stayed inside cleaning and keeping the area well taken care of. I was helping Armin on cleaning the dishes for a few moments before drying my hands. Then when I was done, Mikasa was there in front of me and the girl took my arm and dragged me upstairs leaving the boys downstairs.

"You'll be staying with us," she said, when we entered the room that was at the far end of the hall, "Sasha and Kri…Historia already have the two beds here and my bed is here…we didn't prepare one for you since we didn't know if you'll be here."

"I'm fine sleeping on the floor," I told her with a light smile.

Mikasa nodded at me and worked with me to place the stuff I had with me in the closet at the end of the room. As I was working, I noticed the dark-haired girl gently touching her side, almost hiding a wince from where she was touching.

"Are you okay?" I asked her.

"Just a battle injury," she said simply, "I'm fine."

"Eren mentioned that you should be resting earlier," I told her turning toward her, "Let me see how bad it is."

"Sarah…I swear that I am fine,"

"Mikasa, _let me see_ ," I said sternly.

She stared at me for a few moments and then let out a small sigh, probably realizing that I wasn't going to let it go like Eren. The girl raised her hand toward her shirt and started unbutton. My eyes went wide in shock at what she was doing before quickly looking away, and I swore I felt my cheeks warm.

 _Wait…what am I getting embarrassed about? We're both girls….and back at the dorm, I saw many of the other girls half naked before. Not something that bothered me in the past…but then again, I didn't have an hopeless crush on them like I did with Mikasa…_

"See, I'm fine," Mikasa spoke out drawing my eyes toward her.

 _Oh…oh wow._

Mikasa was beautiful. She was opened the shirt was wearing revealing the toned stomach and I could have sworn I saw her abdominal muscles there. She was more fit than I was but then again, this girl was the top of our class back during training. Her skin had a light discoloration right beneath her bra. I made my way toward her looking down at the bruises.

"H…How did this happen?" I asked shocked.

"A Titan grabbed me," the girl answered, "My ribs were bruised from it but it's not as bad as it looks."

I gently touched the bruised area. Her skin was warm and soft against my fingers. I feel her tense beneath fingers but I hardly noticed, gently touching her skin and feeling her rib beneath her skin. It was much softer than imagined it to be…

"Why do I get the feeling you were being reckless when that happened? You should be more careful," I told her.

Mikasa breathed a laugh.

"Somehow…I knew you were going to say that."

I looked at her and then was suddenly surprised when her face completely filled my entire vision. We were almost nose to nose and with being so close to her like that, I came to realize that Mikasa was slightly taller than I was. I never realized she was taller than I was. I feel my face flush lightly at her being so close and Mikasa simply continued to stare at me, and in those dark eyes of hers I could see my own reflection within them…

"Your eyes…," Mikasa started leaning forward lightly.

Then something out of the corner of my eyes caught my attention. I turned my gaze toward it and Mikasa noticed that something had drawn my gaze did as well. The door of our room was opened since Mikasa didn't bother to close it and a familiar blond-haired young man was standing there with his mouth slightly ajar as he was staring at us. Armin's eyes were wide as his entire face was bright red.

"Armin…," Mikasa said.

" _I didn't see anything,"_ Armin quickly said before rushing away from the entrance.

I tilted my head in confusion at that before exchanging looks with Mikasa who looked as equally confused for a moment. Then the realization of what Armin though he saw hit us at the same time. We were standing close to each other, with Mikasa's shirt open my hand was still upon her body…to an outsider we looked like we were…

 _Oh shit…_

Mikasa instantly stepped away, her skin flushing around her cheeks as she worked upon buttoning her shirt again and I simply stood there awkwardly, feeling the blush reaching all the way to my ears with how red I was.

"We should…probably get back," I said just wanting to fill the silence.

Mikasa simply nodded at me before the two of us walked out of the room, not speaking or even looking at each other, thought that didn't stop my heart from going haywire within my chest.

 _Armin thought we were…kissing each other,_ I thought to myself, _I wonder…how her lips taste like…_

For the rest of the day, Armin wouldn't meet our gaze at all, settling a weird dynamic between me, him and Mikasa. Jean and Eren were confused about what was going on but none of us made any indication of explaining what had happened and whenever I met Mikasa's eyes whether it's on accident or simply our path crossing while we were in there in the house, there was this weird air between us. It's almost like we were back in that room alone being so close to one another once again and feeling her breath against my skin…

 _God, I am so hopelessly in love with that girl aren't I?_

* * *

 **Oh Sarah, you baby gay you...Well, hope you have enjoyed the read...**

 **Next Time:** Cabin in the Woods part 2

 **See you next time.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	35. Cabin in the Woods part 2

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews of last chapter, but here is the next update so enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A flute case being held by feminine hands.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Cabin in the Woods part 2

The axe glinted in the sun as I held it at the ready. I let out a soft breath, getting the ready for the upcoming task in front of me. My hair was pulled back in a ponytail again as I was wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt which was rolled up at my elbows. With a single yell, I swung the deadly weapon straight down toward the branch in front of me causing splinter to fly from it.

I was out chopping wood for the fireplace. I had noticed that we were starting to run out and with the weird dynamic between Armin, me and Mikasa these past two days, I volunteered to go out and get some firewood. It was a familiar job that I used to do back when I lived with Maria before I joined the Cadets. It didn't take me long to get lost in the job and collecting the woods that we will need. More ever, I just wanted to have a moment by myself for now.

" _Sarah…thank you."_

Gritting my teeth, I slammed the axe against the wood with so much force that I felt it tremble down to my bones. Why the hell was she thanking me for? She was the one who flew straight to her death when we should continue to run away, and maybe find a horse to escape but instead she went and try to fight against three Titans by herself. That was the first lessons they taught us back in your training. Never take on a Titan by yourself, because if don't have anyone to watch your back, you might get blindsided by another Titans you didn't even know was there.

 _We were going to have a conversation right…so why did you decided to risk your life for me?_ I thought thinking back to the girl, _What makes you believe that I was more valuable than you are. For three years, we trained side by side, we slept in the same room. You were the closest person that I have to a sister…and yet…why did you…_

I slammed the axe down repeatedly as I continued to work on chopping the wood. Lot of goods that did for us didn't it. Reiner and Berthold probably survived against the swarm of the Titans and Ymir had gone along with them, that traitorous bitch…

"Sarah,"

I turned my gaze toward the voice. It was Jean and the young man had a riffle upon his shoulder. He looked at me with a frown upon his features as he was approaching toward where I was.

"Something you need Jean?" I asked.

"Well, it's lunchtime," he said, "You've been gone form the house all morning so I thought I'll come and check it out here."

I glanced toward the sun that was peaking from behind the trees that were above me.

"Is it really that late?" I asked.

"I'm going to relive Sasha from her watch," the young man said, "Since you were out of here, I thought that I'll remind you to get something to eat."

I placed the axe upon my shoulder.

"Thanks Jean," I nodded at him, "I will, once I gathered enough firewood."

"From what I can see," Jean said looking at the pile that was nearby, "I said you've got us more than enough."

I glanced at the pile as well. I let out a small sigh at that. I didn't even realize that I had even made this much. I was so lost in my thoughts that my body worked on automatic. I let out another sigh, placing the axe down upon the side of the stood of wood.

"Well, at least we won't have to worry about firewood for a while," I told him.

The young man didn't seem to be convinced.

"Hey, Sarah, are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

I started collecting the firewood and placing them in the small cart that was beside me. I heard his question but, how could I really answer him? Was I okay? Not by a long shot, but all of the problems I always have, I've faced them before and come out on top. So, this latest one was just the same as the rest.

"I'm fine Jean," I told him, "I can deal with it by myself."

The young man didn't seem convinced but he left. I let out a sigh of relief when he did. I didn't feel like I need to talk to him about anything that happened yet. A lot of people died during the rescue operation and it won't be long before they notice that Narissa hadn't returned from there and I wasn't ready to talk about it with anyone else.

When the cart was full, I made my way straight back toward the house we have been staying in for the past few hours and entered through the backdoor that lead straight into the kitchen. Sasha was inside already holding what seems to be a steaming potato in her hand and from how much her mouth was salivating, I couldn't help the sigh escaping from my lips.

"Sasha, are you stealing food again?"

The girl let out a strangled eep sound as she turned her head toward me.

"Hey…Sarah," she greeted with a smile, "When did you get there?"

"Just now," I told her plainly, "Isn't lunch time already? If you're hungry go eat with the rest…"

"I'm just having a snack before we start to eat," Sasha said.

I couldn't help the chuckle that escape from my lips as I shook my head at her. Really, that girl didn't change at all during the time since we left the Cadet Corps a month ago. I turned my gaze toward the wooden container and placed the firewood inside of it.

"If you keep stealing food like that, we'll run out before the week is over," I told her, "And we still don't know how long we're going to stay here with Eren and Historia anyway."

The girl gave me a glance but still stuffed the potato in her clothing. I let out a small sigh.

"You didn't even listen to a word I said did you?" I said.

"Nope."

"Don't say it so earnestly," I barked at her.

Sasha simply left the room, with a happy little hop in her steps. Really, she hadn't changed at all from training camp. Stealing food like that, always got her called to Shadis's office now that I think about it. There is really nothing that changed from those days…

 _But…a lot of things have changed…haven't they?_

Shaking my head from the thoughts, I made my way into the room where the rest of the group was seating with a food upon the table as they were eating. Armin, Eren and Mikasa along with Kris…Historia were already at the table eating. Sasha wasn't there and from the steps I heard going upstairs that must be her right now. Probably going to hide in the room to eat that potato she stole earlier.

"Hey Sarah, we saved you a plate," Eren told me as I approached.

I gave him a light smile before taking my seat which was coincidentally right across Mikasa's. the girl was already eating and Armin was beside her.

"Hey, Sarah you wiped the mud of your shoes when you entered right?" Eren asked, a sudden frightened look upon his features.

I blinked.

"I… came through the back," I told him, "Not really need to do that you know. Is this because of what Captain Levi said this morning? He seems…a little high strung about cleaning."

"Shorty is a clean freak," Mikasa said bluntly.

"Hey you don't have to say it like that," Eren argued.

"Well the Captain did seem to be very throughout when he gave us instruction to clean this house when we first arrived here," Armin admitted, "But calling him a clean freak…that's kind of…much even for you Mikasa."

Mikasa didn't say anything and just continue to eat.

Eren let out a sigh before glancing up toward me.

"Say, Sarah there is something that I have been meaning to ask you," he said, "Well, it's something Armin spoke out when we first found out about the Walls true origin."

I leaned my head to the side, intrigued.

"Hange was the one who found out during a test when we were on our way to Ehmrich District," Armin spoke out, "The Wall is made out of thousands of Colossal Type Titans. Its' what we found out when Annie accidentally destroyed a part of the Wall back in Stohess revealing the face of the Titan beneath it."

"Then what are you asking me?"

"Can your Titan harden like Annie's?" Eren asked, "If you can do that…maybe you can give me some tips about what I can do to. We're planning to use my Titan's hardening ability to plug the hole in Shingashina and reclaiming Wall Maria."

I stayed silent, thinking for a moment.

"Well it is a sound idea," I said, "If the Walls are made of Titan hardening skin, then…using your Titan might be able fully plug the wall and not use a boulder like we did in Trost…but, I don't think I can help on how to use that ability."

"Huh? Why not?" Armin asked surprised.

Eren was also surprised and Mikasa had looked up at me as I was speaking but my eyes was focused on Armin so I didn't see it.

"My Titan doesn't harden," I said, "I know that for a fact that I can't do it."

"You tried it before?"

I let out a sigh.

"It's not that," I argued, "It's more like…the knowledge is there in my mind…and I have no idea on how I actually know it. It's like something that's been ingrained inside of me. I know that ability isn't part of my Titan, so I really can't help you there."

"But what about what you did in the Forest against Annie?" Mikasa asked.

I looked at her, confused.

"What?"

"When you faced the Female Titan, you threw a spear at her," the dark-haired girl said, "It's a lot similar to what Annie could do but instead of making it as your body…you somehow created a spear and threw it at her…"

Armin looked shocked at what the girl was revealing.

"You can really do something like that?" he asked shocked.

I placed a hand against my head, thinking back. I hadn't really been thinking about anything during that time to tell you the truth since I was mostly focused upon stopping her from escaping with Eren…I had no idea that I made the spear…

"I did…didn't I?" I said softly, my hand still upon my forehead, trying to think, but it was like a fog was being placed upon my memories, "I…I don't…think I did…"

 _Why can't I remember how I did that?_

I was in forest fighting against Annie but as she was running away…the memory got foggier and foggier almost and there was this pain that was starting to spark within my head.

"I know…I was in the forest but…I fought against her…," I said the pain rising even more.

"Sarah…are you okay?"

I didn't know who said this but I was still trying to remember how I stopped the Female Titan. I know I did something and I remember raising my hand and then…something warm was dripping down my nose…

"Sarah, you're bleeding,"

There was the sound of footsteps and someone was there beside me and I felt something being pressed against my nose. I looked over and saw that it was Mikasa who was beside me, a look of concern upon her features as she was holding the tissue against my nose and it was darkening with red.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, her voice worried.

"I'm fine…," I told her, taking hold of the napkin, "It's strange…it's like I am having an hard time remembering what happened in that Forest. That never happened before…"

"Could it be that you have some repressed memories like I have?" Eren asked, "I mean, I still don't really remember everything on how I gained my ability other than my dad was probably there…"

"Maybe," I said softly still confused at what had just happened to me.

Armin stayed silent for a moment, seemingly lost in thoughts. Mikasa helped me to my feet and I was feeling oddly weak all of a sudden. The dark-haired girl let out a small sigh.

"C'mon, I'll take you up to our room so you can get some rest," she said.

I gave her a light nod and let her help me up the stairs.

* * *

 **NO POV**

Mikasa was gentle as she was moving with the weakened Sarah that was moving with. She had never seen her like that before in the past as Sarah was always someone who was very confident in what she does…thought lately, the girl didn't seem to be as confident as she remembered her.

 _Her eyes….they look…different._

It was what clued in her in that there was something off with her friend. Sarah's eyes were never like this before and somehow it worried her. Given what happened this morning between them, Mikasa couldn't help the slight blush upon her cheeks, given what Armin had believed he had interrupted by standing by their door.

Shaking her head, the two reached the room and Mikasa instantly made her way toward where her bed was and placed Sarah upon it.

"The bleeding stopped," Sarah said.

Mikasa glanced down at the seated girl in front of her. Sarah looked miserable for lack of better word.

"I don't know why she decided to do it Mikasa," Sarah started her head bowed, "We could have escaped, but she chose to sacrifice herself for me…"

 _Sarah,_ Mikasa thought looking at her.

"But…why did she thank me if she was going to die," the brown-haired girl continued, that miserable expression upon her features growing even more pronounced, "Every time someone I loved was going to die…I couldn't do a damn thing to help them…my mother…my squad…even Narissa…"

Mikasa stared down at her, her eyes wide at the revelation that Sarah was doing. However, as she was looking down at the girl somehow, she found that it was Eren she was looking at, completely broken…

 _Hannes carrying them away from the Smiling Titan as Eren screamed at them to go back…_

 _Armin's tears as he told her about his and Eren's squad complete annihilation in Trost..._

 _Hannes dying to save them from the Smiling Titan…_

 _Eren breaking into a hysterical laugh at that…_

Mikasa raised her hands and took both of Sarah's cheeks within her palms. She kneeled down in front of her looking into those broken amber eyes. Sarah was breaking just like Eren did when they were out there…and unlike Eren, she didn't have anyone beside her to help her stand so she had just been burying it these past few days.

 _So that's why your eyes were like this,_ she thought, _You lost Narissa out there, the girl that was always at your side during training. Just like Krista who lost Ymir. Krista retreated into herself almost like she had become a blank state and you…you simply buried it deep inside you…Maybe…now, I can finally repay you for what you did for me that day in Trost when I was lost…_

"Sarah," she said softly, "I can't say anything of what you're feeling. But I do understand lost better than you can imagine. I've lost my family two times before. My own parents and the woman who took me in after. This world is really cruel with everything that we've suffered to get where we are now…but it is also very beautiful and so warm."

She gently wiped away the tears that were falling from the younger girl's features. Now that she was looking at Sarah this way, she noticed just how long Sarah's lashes were. Sarah had this aristocrat like beauty to her and yet, there was this hardening in her features thanks to her training as a soldier.

"There is something I have been meaning to give back to you," Mikasa said.

She removed her hand from Sarah's cheeks as her hands felt oddly cold right now without feeling the warmth of those cheeks against her palm. However, Mikasa ignored the feeling going straight at her drawer and opened it. Within it, lay a flute case a black case. It was in more of a bad shape than now but Mikasa had been trying to fix it, with little success. She had found it in the ruins of what remained of Utgard Castle after they had taken care of the titan and had been planning to give it back to Sarah but things just derailed from there.

She turned toward the girl on the bed and placed the case within her hand. She saw Sarah's eyes widen as she was staring at it.

"Where did you…?"

Mikasa took Sarah's hand and wrapped it around the case of the flute.

"I may never have told you this before," she said feeling a light flush in her cheeks, "But I've always enjoyed hearing you play…it was…soothing. That is your light Sarah…that is what made you warm in such a cruel world."

Sarah stared at her shocked for a moment, her eyes wide and then the next thing Mikasa knew, she was engulfed into a powerful hug. The dark-haired girl feels her eyes widen lightly at the hug but she returned it. Sarah was shaking lightly in her arms as she hugged her but somehow Mikasa found herself smiling lightly.

Sarah was a strong girl and Mikasa knew that she will always stand back upon her feet again.

"Mikasa… _thank you_ ," she whispered.

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed the POV switch.**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading.**

 **Next Time:** Discovery

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	36. Discovery

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Mikasa hidding her face in her scarf as it danced in the wind behind her

Chapter Thirty-Six

Discovery

I couldn't believe what I was looking at.

When Mikasa presented me with the case, I simply stared at it numbed that it was even still here. Last, I had ever seen that thing was at Utgard castle and I had it on me during the entire mess that happened there but since I didn't have it back on the trees with Reiner and Berthold, I thought that I had lost it, just like the one I had before…

But all this time, it was Mikasa who had it.

The dark-haired girl placed a hand over her own drawing her eyes toward her. Mikasa had a light blush upon her cheeks as she looked at her.

"I never told you this before but I've always enjoyed hearing you play," she said, "It was…soothing. That is your light Sarah…that is what made you so warm in such a cruel world."

I stared at the girl, completely shocked at her. There were so many feelings clashing within my heart that I didn't even know how to name them all. It was like a storm was raging within me and yet, this girl managed to find the one thing that could possibly ground me before I was swallowed by it. Despite everything that had happened, I felt so lost burying the feelings of what happened with Narissa deep within me but…despite everything, I couldn't really bury it down.

Even in my actions, my feelings were being shown when Jean found me earlier when I was chopping woods outside, and Mikasa could see that something was wrong with me too and from the looks of Armin and Eren, they could probably see it as well but chose to talk about something else instead of confronting it. I can feel tears gathering in my eyes as I looked down at the case that was in my hand before launching myself toward the girl in front of me taking her into a hug.

I feel her freeze lightly at the sudden hug attack but I didn't care. I squeezed Mikasa against me, feeling the tears falling from my eyes but soon enough Mikasa had her own arms around me as I cried against her shoulder, her hand gently touching my back in that comforting kind of way.

"Mikasa… _thank you."_

We stayed like that for some time before she let go of me and I stepped away wiping away the tears that were still falling from my eyes. Mikasa had that small smile upon her lips as she was looking at me and I returned it.

"Your eyes…they look better now," she said.

I blinked at her, a light confusion coursing through me.

"My eyes?"

She looked away for a moment before meeting my eyes again.

"Yes," she said, "They looked…off earlier today when you came back…actually, your eyes were a lot like Kri…Historia's when she told us about her past."

Armin had filled me in on that earlier. Hard to think that Historia was the bastard child of a noble who sent her off to the Cadets under a new name instead of the name she was born with Krista Lenz instead of Historia Reiss. Anyway, back to my eyes I guess my eyes looked just as dead then when I was completely lost about what happened to Narissa.

I looked down at the case in my hand a light smile upon my lips. I opened it finding the flute inside but there was sign of damage upon it probably from what had happened at Utgard. As I was looking at it, Mikasa started to speak again.

"I saw that it was damaged and I was trying to fix it as best I could," she started, "I don't know if did a good job or not…I should have probably looked at a manual or have Armin take a look at it."

I let out a soft chuckle.

"Really, Mikasa," I told her, "Thanks a lot. Maybe this will be come a project I'll have to do the next few days we are still here…at least, until Captain Levi came back from whatever he has gone to."

Mikasa gave me a light nod.

"Alright," she said, "But…do you know what happened back there? Your nose just started bleeding out of nowhere."

I thought about it.

"I don't know," I told her honestly, "something like that had never happened before. I didn't transform into a Titan at all these past few days not since when we were out there…so I didn't understand what was going on at all…"

I trailed off.

"I don't know," I said softly, "I never actually tried to do anything else with the power I had…well, other than controlling my Titan whenever I was using it."

The dark-haired girl seems to think for a few moments.

"The guy from the Church told us that you might kill Kri…Historia because of your family history," she said.

I stared at her, confused.

"Wait…what Church guy?"

"During Eren's trial," Mikasa said, "He was one of the Wallist present and the most vocal one…I'm sure you would remember him."

I stayed silent thinking back to the trial that took place a month ago now. I thought back to that day seeing Eren placed upon his knees in the middle of the courtroom, and the Military Police arguing about killing him and then there was a Pastor there…

"Oh…you mean that guy?" I said, "Pastor Nick…if I remember the name correctly. Why would he think that I would kill Kris..Historia?"

"I don't know," Mikasa said, taking a seat beside me on the bed, "But I don't trust that man."

"Armin said that they knew about the Walled in Titan Annie accidently uncovered," I told her, "Back at the Trial, I found it odd that they had this much power since they delayed the arming of the Walls, it makes me wonder if they were trying to stop people from finding out about the Titans that are inside the Walls…or even find out what the Walls are made out of."

"It was a theory Armin had," Mikasa told me.

I stayed silent.

 _If that Pastor Nick knew about the Walls…and warned the Scouts about me killing Historia? Why would he do that?_

I feel my breath quicken lightly, as the realization hit me.

"No way," I whispered shocked.

Mikasa glanced at me.

"What is it?"

"Pastor Nick…," I said looking at her in shock, " _Pastor Nick_."

I quickly dropped the case that was in my hand, turning to face Mikasa fully, placing both hand upon her shoulders, my excitement rising even more.

"He knows," I told her, "He knows about me…about my past. He must have known about the Ashler."

Mikasa was confused.

"Ashler?" she repeated.

I looked at the girl realizing that she probably didn't know about what Commander Erwin and me discussed. I doubt anyone other than the higher up in the Survey Corps knew about that since I only revealed it just yesterday to the Commander…but Mikasa is someone I trusted and she was on Eren's side…and I was on Eren's side, so it didn't make sense to keep it from her.

"Back during Trost when Eren transformed to stop the canon, I had a flash of memory," I told her, "Someone mentioned that name before and I couldn't understand it at all or how it was connected to what was happening here, however…when Eren and I were captured with Ymir, Berthold let that slip to me when he thought I was unconscious…"

I frowned lightly.

"I thought that everyone who could have known about Ashler were either dead or the enemies we have out there," I continued, "But if the Wallist know about the Walled in Titan…and they warned you about me, then they must know something vital about the Ashler. I have to talk to this man…this priest of the Wall. If he knows something, then…"

"Sarah, calm down," Mikasa said quickly, "The Pastor didn't even say much to us and all that he was willing to reveal was that Historia was somehow important in all of this…or at least, the Reiss family was."

"Maybe," I said letting go of her, "But I won't know until I try right? When Captain Levi came back, I will talk to him and maybe convince him to let me try to talk to the Wallist…if I can learn about Ashler…maybe I can understand why my family had the power of the Titan in their grasp."

I was excited about my discovery. To think there was someone who knew about the Ashler other than Berthold and Reiner. I couldn't wait for the Captain to come back so that I could speak to him about what I have discovered.

* * *

The next few days passed slowly after all, it had been quite a domestic feeling around the house. I had gotten around to help with the cleaning as Eren had been working like a man possessed most of the time during those moments. I wonder just what Captain Levi did to him to make him like this. I helped in the kitchen as well when Mikasa or Historia is working there and Sasha was around stealing food like always.

It made me think back to the time when we were Cadets and had to work in the kitchen. Narissa had been complaining non-stop when we were working there and I couldn't help the grin that grew upon my lips at her as she was doing so. The memory was like a gentle reminder of the people that are no longer around right now.

I had gotten into the rotation of standing guard and I had taken a night watch standing there with the rifle upon my shoulder as I looked out toward the large forest that was around me. There was a lamp burning upon the table behind me as I was leaning against the post looking around. The night was oddly quiet, safe for the few sounds of the animals that were in the forest around us. I let out a soft yawn before starting to walk around again, looking out toward the numerous parts of the area.

Then my eyes glanced upward toward the sky. It had some clouds above us but other than that it was quite a cool night with the stars somewhat visible than the last time I looked up toward them feeling a light oddness in my chest, thinking about everything that had happened so far.

About Reiner and Berthold and their betrayal along Ymir.

About Narissa's sacrifice.

About the mysterious Ashler that is somehow connected to me and the mystery of my Titan.

 _I wonder why Maria never said anything,_ I thought about the woman, _She told me about the Armored and Colossal Titan behind Shifters…but she never told me about anything else. Did she decided to keep it a secret…or did she not know anything at all?_

I let out a sigh.

 _More ever…what was that strange thing with my memories? Something like that never happened in the past before…_

I stayed still.

 _No…it happened before…right after…._

The sound of footsteps interrupted my thought and I instantly turned toward it, rifle in hand. I stared down toward where the sound was finding a familiar figure walking from the house. I took the lamp that was upon the table, raising it up, so it could cast a light upon the approaching person.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now Mikasa," I told her.

The dark-haired girl looked up at me. She was carrying a container in her hand.

"Thought you might want some coffee," she said.

I let out a sigh before allowing her to come up. Soon enough, a steaming cup of coffee was prepared and I was gently drinking from it. A compatible silence settled between us, as I turned my gaze back toward the distance once more.

"A quiet night?"

"Yeah," I said, "Well since most people doesn't know where we are right now, I'm not expecting a lot of things to happen. Protecting Eren and Historia…I can understand why the Captain would want us to do something like this if Historia is as important as Reiner and Berthold seems think so along with the Wallist."

Mikasa came to stand beside me looking out toward the distance while holding her own cup.

"Being out here like this…reminds me of my childhood," she said softly.

I gave her a glance.

"Right…you're from Shingashina…I suppose the farm life would be familiar to you."

"Not when I was with Eren," Mikasa said, "Before that."

I raised my eyebrows. The little I knew about Mikasa's past was that she grew up with Eren and that Eren saved her from slavers that had killed her parents.

"What were they like?" I asked her, my voice oddly soft, "Your parents."

Mikasa stayed silent for a moment.

"Kind people," she said softly to herself.

We stayed like that for a long time just gently nursing the cup of coffee. I stayed there looking out toward the horizon in front of us but as time passed by, the clouds parted revealing the stars that were visible in the distance. A gentle wind blew through the area and for some reason it made me smile, looking out toward it.

"My mother was the only thing that was kind to me in my childhood," I told her, "She was someone that I could always count on to be there. Maria did her best but…she wasn't mother material."

Mikasa was looking at me now, a curious look upon her features. I took a sip from the cup in my hand just to have something to do now but I couldn't help but feel my cheeks warming again with that cutting gaze she was giving me.

"What about your father?" she asked.

I feel the old sting of hatred in my heart when I thought of the man.

"He was…not a father," I told her, "He hated my mom and me….making me wonder why he married her in the first place. I heard he already has a son now, married someone else after mom died so, there is no love lost between us."

I glanced up toward the stars which were twinkling softly, nursing the cup that was in my hands.

"But despite all of that…there was a time, I wished he would have been the one to save me," I continued, "That he would be a father, but it never happened. He was just…like always."

A hand was upon my back, drawing my eyes toward Mikasa.

"You have us," she said.

I couldn't help the small smile that was on my lips.

"I do, don't' I?"

* * *

Captain Levi showed up the following morning when I was working on the dishes from the breakfast, we served this morning. Eren was once again, working on cleaning the area that we were in and the young man was completely on freak cleaning mode. It seems that whenever he was cleaning Eren turned into a clean freak like how Mikasa called the short man.

"I was sure I gave you guys enough time," Captain Levi spoke out drawing my attention.

I quickly dried my hand and made my way toward the living room where Captain Levi stood holding a handkerchief in his hand. The man had his infamous scowl upon his face as he stood there looking out toward the group that was in the middle of the room in front of him.

Then he let out a sigh.

"Never mind," he said wiping his hand, "We can discuss your utter failure at a later date. Eren, Hange is anxious to get the experiment under way."

The young man nodded.

"Yes sir."

"The rest of you, you know your duties," Captain Levi spoke out, "Get your gears ready, we move out in fifteen."

The rest of the group started to move about to get ready for the day, and I made my way straight toward the Captain. The man looked at me as I approached.

"You got shit in your ears Reyne," he asked, "I said get moving."

"Yes, I understand but there was something that I wanted to talk with you about?" I told him.

Levi looked at me.

"Oh…and what is it?"

"Well, Eren and Armin told me that Pastor Nick was the one who told you about me. He said that I would have killed Historia for some reason or the other...I think that maybe he might know more about the Ashler. I previously thought that it was only Berthold and Reiner who knows about that but what he revealed might be a clue on that he knows more than he let on."

The man looked at me.

"Erwin had a thought about that," he said, "What are you suggesting anyway?"

"I was wondering, If there was a possibility that I could talk to the Wallist," I said, "If he knows so much, then there must be a way for me to find more about the Ashler and their connection to me and my family."

Levi stayed silent for a moment thinking.

"We'll talk about this after the experiment is over," the man said, "Don't put all your eggs in one basket. The good pastor seems to want to keep whatever he knows to himself."

I gave him a light nod.

It would seem that whatever I am going to need to talk to the man about will be taken about with the experiment that Eren is going to go through. I left Captain Levi and went upstairs to the girl's room so that I could equip my ODM gear before making my way out with the rest of the team. I climbed upon a horse that was waiting outside along with the rest of the team before we all followed Hange along with Levi toward where we will be doing the experiment with Eren's Titan ability.

 _Let's hope that Pastor Nick can actually give me the information that I want to know,_ I thought, _However this also makes me wonder just how much Maria was hiding from me. Did she know that the Wall were made of Titans? Did she know the truth about the world…and was the reason that mother and Maria never talked about our family was because…whatever truth they were hiding is connected to the Wall and to whatever the monarchy is hiding from us?_

* * *

 **Sarah's questions grow...**

 **Next Time:** From Shadows

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	37. From Shadows

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next chapter and enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah seating upon a boulder with the moon shining from above her as she had her blades planted on the ground beside her.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

From Shadows

Eren's rogue Titan let out a powerful roar as the young man went through the transformation again. I was standing with Hange, Captain Levi, Armin and Historia upon a hill somewhere looking down toward where the Titan was. I could see part of Eren's body hanging from the nape as the Titan barely had any muscle this time. The powerful roar it had let out was the only sign he gave that he was alive before collapsing into a hip of limbs and his body started steaming away. I stood on the edge of the cliff looking down at Eren with a light frown upon my face. I had never seen him get pushed like that before.

"Eren, what are you doing?" Hange yelled down at him, "The fate of Humanity rest upon you. _GET UUUUP."_

The Titan barely moved beneath us.

"His form changed again," Captain Levi said looking down at him, "He is not even ten-meter-tall and some of his body lack muscle. Plus, Eren's scrawny ass is hanging out."

"I can see that," Hange answered before raising her voice, "EREN, think you can still move? Give us a sign."

But the Titan remained unresponsive, compared to how active he was during the first transformation where he could understand whatever instruction that was given to him. Dressed in my ODM gears along with pants, I stared down at the young man feeling a light worry coursing through me. I have never seen someone's body fused like that with a Titan body like that before and it made me wonder if he had overused the transformation somehow.

 _Not like I ever tried something like that before,_ I thought.

Even with the Titan unmoving body, that didn't stop Mikasa from rushing forward yelling out her brother's name leaving the other two guards behind. Levi noticed what she was doing.

"Great," he said, "The brat is at it again…off to the rescue. She never learns, does she?"

"There is no response," Hange said, "I'm calling the experiment off…"

Hange flew off the cliff along with Moblit aiming straight toward where Eren was, leaving the rest of us above there looking down at what was happening. Levi let out a sigh before glancing at Armin.

"Well, not the outcome we've hoped for," Levi continued, "If this continue, we're still a long way from using Eren's Titan to seal the wall."

"We knew it was going to be like grasping at proverbial straws," Armin answered with a light frown upon his features.

"The plan is strategically sound," Levi said, "And sound simple in theory. We've just need to get Eren there. It could still work…it all depends on him."

I glanced at him.

"How do you propose that to happens?" I asked him, "It's not like we can force it out of him. Despite the feats Eren has accomplished, his limit of transformation seems to be two so far. As we've seen, the more he transforms, the less he can communicate with us not telling the strange gibberish he was writing earlier…."

Armin stayed silent thinking for a moment.

"I wonder why he mentioned Dr. Yeager," he said, "Sarah that ever happened to you?"

I shook my head.

"I was trying to keep my ability a secret," I told him, "Didn't really have the chance to experiment like you guys are doing right now."

Levi stayed silent as he glanced at me but I kept my gaze upon the steaming Titan beneath us as the experiment was completed. Everyone went off to their duties to make sure that there was no one around and Levi glanced at Historia.

"You go back with Eren," he said, "Reyne, you're coming with us. If you want to talk to Hange then that is your chance."

I nodded at him and followed the man down toward the carriage. Eren was already placed inside with Mikasa kneeling beside him. His entire face was steaming but I could see the grinning skull there as well as the missing eyeballs that he had. Hange looked a bit worried but from the steam that was rising from his body, the young man was still alive…somehow.

"Captain Hange," I spoke out drawing her gaze toward me, "There is something that I need to talk to you about, if that's okay."

"Talk with me about?" Hange repeated crossing her arms ready to listen.

I nodded, explaining everything I've discovered in my discussion with Mikasa days prior and Hange was silent throughout it all with a light frown upon her features as she listened.

"You think Nick know about this Ashler person that is somehow connected to your Titan?"

I nodded at her.

"He seems to know more about the Walls and the true state of the world," I told her, "And since he was the one who give you the warning about me, I though that maybe if I talked to him, I could get an understanding or some piece of information that could be useful."

Hange glanced at the short man.

"You're okay with this Levi?"

"It wont hurt to talk to Nick again," he said, "Doubt he is going to say anything else, but the kid wanted to talk to him. Since Nick is under your protection, I just facilitate what it needed to happen. We're heading back to Trost anyway…"

Hange let out a small hum.

"Well, I don't mind you tagging along," she said, "Only if you allow me to run some experiment upon you Titan and get some new intel. I have heard quite a bit of rumor about your Titan form over the years and I must say, I am eager to know it personally."

I leaned away from the woman slightly, seeing the mad glint in her eyes.

"Er…I don't mind," I told her.

Hange gave me a light grin.

"Okay, come on along Sarah Reyne," she said, "You're coming to Trost with us….after we put Eren away and get some food."

The patrol we've send out to survey the area came back with no sign of anyone in the vicinity something that caused the group to relax a little but not by much as Captain Levi had everyone working around the house yet again. Since I was leaving with Hange and him later, I only went to get a quick shower before strapping with the ODM gear and my Scout cloak.

Saying only a quick goodbye to my friends, I rode off with Captain Hange that night along with Levi and Moblit aiming straight toward Trost where probably answers were waiting for me. The hour was late by the time we reached Trost District and Levi went on his separate ways, probably to report to the Commander about the experiment's failure about Eren using his hardening ability.

"We'll spent the night here," Hange said, "Then tomorrow, we'll go and see Nick. Hope he'll be talkative with you than he was with me."

I stared up at her as I sat down in the room that we were in.

"We'll know by tomorrow," I answered.

Hange took a seat across me with both of her arms crossed and her eyes staring straight at me. I looked back at her, feeling confused at the searching gaze.

"The more I'm hearing about you Sarah," she said, "The more puzzled I get. All this time, they were in the possession of a Titan ability and yet, did nothing to help humanity fight back. At the beginning, I was thinking that it was an us vs them battle. Humanity is a good guy and Titans are the monsters we have to defeat to be able to have freedom. Yet, with all these recent secrets that have come to light…makes one wonder just how much do we really know."

She seems curious about it and I found myself thinking about that too.

"I've been feeling that way ever since I saw Eren got out of a Titan body right in front of me a month ago," I answered her honestly.

Hange actually laughed.

"This small world of ours changed a lot when that happened didn't it?"

"It did," I answered softly.

* * *

 **The next morning.**

Dressed in my Scout uniform I followed Hange straight into the barrack where she said she had Pastor Nick staying at. I was feeling a light nervous feeling coursing through me as we made our way up the stairs straight toward Nick's room. It was still unbelievable that I was actually going to get the answers that I was puzzling about these past few days. I really hope that the Pastor would be able to answer my questions about the Ashler and whoever they were.

"What's the MP doing here?" Moblit asked.

I instantly looked up toward the end of the hallway, finding a MP soldier standing at the entrance of a room looking down inside. Hange had instantly increased her steps and I was right behind her, wanting to know what was going on here. Why would the MPs be here of all place and this early in the morning too.

"Hey, what's going on here?" she asked, "Let me through."

She made to push herself into the room but the MP that was getting out of the room pushed her out. The man was easily taller than she was, his eyes looked like he didn't even have a wink of sleep that night. In that few moments, I caught sight of the inside of the room, where a MP was kneeling beside an unmoving and bleeding form which was bleeding heavily from his features and his hands…

"Don't get any closer," the MP spoke out holding his riffle in front of us.

"Yeah this isn't your jurisdiction," the tall MP said, "A simple robbery murder."

He closed the door behind him, stationing himself in front of it with both of his hands at his side.

"They've been a string of them lately," he continued, almost like he was too bored to even tell us the full story.

That didn't seem to seat well with Hange however.

"I'm not buying it," she argued, "His nails were torn out…"

She trailed off when the MP placed a hand upon her, almost pulling at her jacket.

"What Unit are you in?" The MP growled.

But Moblit interfered pulling the man's hand off her.

"Section Commander Hange Fourth Squad," he said sternly, "And I'm XO Moblit Berner…she is our assistant, Marie."

The MP gave me a dirty look as Moblit let go of his hand. I gave Moblit a confused glance at the fake name but didn't say anything.

"You know, when your whole branch is garbage being high rank doesn't make you smell any better," he growled, "Listen, that man wasn't killed by a Titan. One man killed another…this isn't Scout business."

Hange had stayed silent for a moment.

"You're with the First Interior Squad," she said simply, observing the writing that was above their breast pockets.

"Funny, what is the Capital's MP doing all the way out here in Trost?" Moblit wondered.

 _First Interior Squad…it's rare for them to be even out of the Capital based on what we learned from bootcamp. For them to be here of all places…_

"What's so strange about it?" the MP said looking at them his tone taking a defensive edge, "Someone got to get the real work done while you people run around playing soldier."

"Hey…," I started but Hange instantly placed a hand upon my shoulder to stop me from talking.

"You're right," she said, "I see it now. I'm worthless compared to you. Just being in your presence is an honor. Please let me shake your hand."

Hange took hold of his hand in her owns.

"You said that this is a robbery," she said, "Poor Nick, I didn't realize he had anything worth stealing."

"Of course, he did," The man said as if it was obvious, "Anyone know the Church make all it's trinkets out of iron."

Hange looked surprised.

"Are you saying Nick was affiliated with the Order of the Walls?" she asked.

The MPs seems suddenly tense.

"What are you playing at?"

"He was a friend, you see," Hange explained, "that's why I rushed down here…except, I always thought he was a craftsman making chairs or something. I even put that on his application to board here…still I suppose that this is a reminder of how you really don't know people as well as you though."

"Enough, let go," The MP snarled pulling his hand from Hange's grip.

 _His bruised hand…_

I feel my eyes widen lightly as I remember the beaten corpse of Nick I had seen in the split second before the door had closed.

 _No way…don't tell me…_

"… _when you catch the culprit, would you say this to them for me,"_ Hange was saying from beside me, "That what you did to him was justified perhaps even righteous. Well, I don't give a single shit about what your motivations was. I promise you, I'll personally see to it that you are tortured and the horrors threw upon you will be greater than what my friend suffered. Yes, _far greater_."

A manic grin had appeared upon Hange's face at that last one that even shocked me. But then, her face went back to normal as she continued.

"Please pass that along," she said and with a hand upon my shoulder the young woman lead me away from where the two MPs were standing. I didn't need to turn around to know that their gaze were fixed upon our back.

When we left the floor and making our way out of barrack. Moblit spoke up.

"The pastor…you think they killed him?"

"Yes I do," Hange answered, "That man's name was Jell Sannes. The skin of his fists were split open. Nick was tortured by the Interior's MP and was murdered."

Hange gave me a sideway look.

"Sorry Sarah," she said, "Looks like you won't get to question Nick after all."

"But why would they kill him?" I asked her, my voice small, "Is it because of what he told you about… _you know who?"_

Hange seems to think about it for a few moments.

"Maybe," she said, "We're going to have to report this back to Levi and Erwin need to know as well. Sarah, keep your secret to yourself. The less people that knows about it the better. It seems that whoever we're fighting this time, is from within the Walls."

I gave her a nod that I understand her.

This situation was starting to get out of control fast and I had a feeling that I won't like it when the shit hits the fan.

* * *

We returned to the cabin late that afternoon. I was still reeling that Pastor Nick was murdered of all things and since Jean was on watch duty, he was the first one who saw us coming. The young man waved as we approached and I tied up my horse before heading for the house with Hange and the other two following after us. Levi was already there with a light frown upon his features as he looked at us.

"From your expressions, I would assume that the talks with Nick didn't go well?" he asked looking at us.

I shook my head.

"Not exactly," I answered, "I didn't have a chance to talk to him at all."

"Why?" Levi asked.

It was Hange who spoke this time.

"Pastor Nick…was murdered in the Trost barrack earlier today," she said, "By the interior MPs."

Everyone in the room had a shocked expression upon their features at the news staring straight at us. Levi took a seat down upon the chair that was beside him running a hand through his face while Eren, Armin and Mikasa were giving me curious looks. I simply shook my head at them, not wanting to talk about it yet. Sasha quickly got some tea out for everyone as we were all now seating. I had taken my seat on the nearby couch with a cup in hand, still reeling at what had happened earlier today with Pastor Nick.

"I knew the Church will want to get their hands on Nick when they learned he was cooperating with us," Hange continued, "That's why I hid his identity and stashed him in the barrack. I never imagined they would use soldiers to kill him. This was my fault…I should have been more careful."

Levi only took a sip.

"They've tortured him," Armin said, "Presumedly for information. Did they just wanted to know what he told us?"

"Most likely," Levi agreed, "But these are the Interior MPs we're dealing with. You can bet that there is something deeper at work…now, how many nails was the good Pastor missing?"

I glanced up at the odd question and even Hange was surprised.

"How many?" he asked, "You saw right?"

 _A bloodied hand flashed within my mind…_

"I only got a glimpse," Hange said, "But all the nailbed I saw were empty."

Levi frowned lightly.

"People who talk, talk after one, ripping off more won't make a difference" he said, "I'm impressed. I didn't think much of Pastor Nick…but whatever his faults, he stuck by his belief to the very end….which mean, they have no idea that we know about the Reiss family…or about Sarah's supposed connection to the Ashler."

I thought back to that. It was Pastor Nick who had given the Scouts the idea that I might kill Historia and it didn't seem that the MPs were aware of it.

"You're right," I said, "The MPs didn't seem to be all that interested in me…or maybe it was because I was with Hange that they didn't try anything."

Levi frowned.

"Given what they've done to the good pastor," he said, "I won't put it pass them. Reyne, you are not to leave our side anymore. Now I don't know what's the connection between Ashler and the Reiss family but a man died today because he knew the truth. You got away the first time, you might not be so lucky a second time?"

I given the man a nod of consent.

 _Right…given what happened to Nick, these soldiers have been armed and we weren't. Would they have really open fire on us without warning just to get to me? Would Hange and Moblit would have been killed…just like Nick just so they could get their hands on me?_

"The government is up to something," Levi continued, "And it seems we've got a target on our backs."

The door was instantly thrown open as I instantly looked up at it, finding Nifa there. The young woman was dressed in a traveling cloak and quickly made her way toward the man.

"Captain Levi," she said, "A message from Commander Erwin."

She pulled out a folded piece of paper, handing it toward him. The man opened it, reading its contents quickly.

"I went to tell him about Pastor Nick," Nifa continued, "But he gave me this instead and sent me off."

An urgent look appeared upon Levi's face.

"Get your gears now," he ordered standing up, "Make it looks like we've never been here. You have ten minutes."

From the urgency in his tone, I didn't waste any time getting up the second floor and quickly working upon adding my ODM gear to the belt I was already wearing and then throwing on a cloak upon my body. My clothing and stuff were thrown into a bag quickly along with my flute case.

"Sarah, your rifle," Sasha told me.

"Thanks," I told her catching the weapon giving it a quick look over to see it still loaded before making my way out of the room.

With us done, Captain Levi quickly took us and the horses away from the house and as we were climbing through the trees away, I heard the sound of numerous horses approaching and glanced back toward the house noticing many torches moving on about.

"Keep moving," Levi said, "We need to put some distance between us and that house as quickly as possible."

We reached the top of a small hill that gave out a view toward the small house we've been staying these pasts few days and saw that it was crawling with people now, all of them armed with rifles and with torches. Even in the distance, I recognized the unicorn sigil of the MPs.

"That was close," Connie said, "What if they had caught us? Would they've have ripped our nails too?"

"I don't want to know the answer to that question Connie."

"How did the Commander know they were coming?" Armin asked, looking at the Captain.

Levi frowned again.

"The government passed down some new orders," he said, "They've been a freeze on all Scouts activities beyond the Wall."

I snapped my head toward him in shock.

 _Wait…what?_

"We've been ordered to hand over Eren and Historia…and Sarah, you're to be handed over as well but it's for your execution."

"What?" Jean said shocked.

I can feel myself paling at this, the gun in my hand suddenly feeling like a lead weight.

"Captain," Nifa said, her tone grave, "I didn't have time to tell you but some MPs showed up for the Commander just as I was leaving."

"What like he is some kind of criminal?" Hange snapped, anger in her tone.

"They're bringing out this fight in the open," Levi said, "No more hiding from the shadows."

"They're going to protect the Wall's secret at any cost," Hange theorized, "But why? And why exactly are they after Eren and Historia for. They don't want them dead…unlike Sarah, who they just want to execute…it can't just be because of her Titan ability. No one else knew about that…"

"Who knows," Levi said, "They want these three and they're not being subtle about it. It makes lingering here dangerous. We'll move them to Trost."

"You're taking them to a place where a man was just murdered?" Moblit questioned.

"Heading toward the Interior would be worse," Levi said, "With Trost in a panic, it should be easy to slip in…and if things do go all to hell, we can use these in the city."

He moved his cloak revealing the ODM gear he was wearing.

He looked up at us again.

"We don't know the identity of our enemy yet," he said, "I have an idea on how to change that. Hange, I'll need some of your squad."

"No problem" she answered, "I'm going to Commander Erwin, and Moblit is coming with. The rest, follow Captain Levi."

I turned away from them, looking out toward the sun which was now setting. The order had come out to take me down for execution. But why was the government so afraid of? I understand going after Eren. Historia because she was connected to the Reiss family who somehow is aware of the secret of the Wall…but what about me. What is it that drew their attention to me?

 _Hange was right. Not a lot of people know that I am the Gray Titan so it can't be because of that…is it the relation I share with the Ashler? Is that why they…_

A hand was upon my shoulder drawing my attention toward it. It was Eren.

"C'mon," he said, "We're moving."

Armin and Mikasa were waiting for us as they looked at us and I nodded at the young man.

"Right," I said, "Let's go."

* * *

 **The Scouts on the run...**

 **Next Time:** Blood on my Hands

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	38. Blood on my Hands

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Now read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah leaning against a wall with bloodied handprints upon it.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Blood on my Hands

We are all seating inside the carriage as they were moving throughout the night. It was dead silent within it as we were all thinking about what had just happened just earlier with the MPs seemingly hunting for us right now. I held my rifle in my hand with a light frown thinking about everything that had happened. I was curious as to why they would want me for. There is no way that they could have known about my ability to transform into a Titan yet, only the Scouts will know that and I doubt any of them would have told anyone.

The only other reason would be because of my relation to Ashler. But even so, how did they know about it? They couldn't have discovered my connection to the Ashler…unless the Pastor said something but if he did, when I was there with the MPs back at the barrack, they didn't seem to be aware of it at all, but even so…

"Captain Levi," Armin spoke out drawing eyes toward him, "What is this plan you're talking about earlier to draw whoever is after us."

Levi glanced at him.

"Just a simple body double mission," he said.

"Body double?" Eren repeated, "You mean…like we did in Stohess?"

"Right," Levi agreed, "Whoever is aiming for us is coming after Eren and Historia, then we will give them 'Eren' and 'Historia'. I doubt that whoever is going to come after us will know the difference if we placed body double if they're going after us through description. We'll be using that against them."

"So Eren is not going to play bait again?" I asked.

"From our enemy's point of view, he is," Levi said, "However, we still don't know why they need him for. When we reach Trost, we'll separate into two teams. Most of the Cadets will join me while Eren, Historia and Sarah will be in the carriage. Walking around in broad daylight will surely draw out their attention toward us."

Levi looked at Jean.

"You'll be taking Eren's place again Jean," he said, "And I don't want to hear any complains about it is that clear?"

"Yes sir," the young man said, though from his tone he seems to be against the idea of going as Eren's double.

"But, if we're having a double mission, none of the girls here are in Kr…Historia's built," I told the Captain.

"I know," Levi said, "But we're going on appearances…and I'm sure that Armin will be good enough."

"Armin?"

"Me?"

"Him?"

"Like I said," Levi told us with a frown upon his features, "The people who are after us don't know what Historia look like other than description. A short blond girl with blue eyes that is part of the Scouts, Armin is short enough to fit the bill, we'll just give him some fake hair and dress him up in girl's clothing. He'll be able to pass as a girl easily enough…enough to fool our supposed pursuers."

I thought about it.

It was a solid plan thought the though of Armin dressed in girl's clothing caused me to chortle and from how Connie's shoulders were shaking, I wasn't the only one holding back laughs. Eren looked a little put off and Armin looked pale but there was a trace of amusement within Mikasa's eyes as she was staring at her childhood friend.

"Won't they be thrown off if I'm not here?" I asked the Captain, "The order is to capture all three of us."

"Your capture is for your execution," Levi told me, "However, we know that they don't want to kill Eren or Historia. Placing you in the front lines like that will be dangerous and I won't put you in danger needlessly."

I stared at the short man across me for a few moments before nodding lightly.

"Yes sir."

"I'm surprised they are even after Sarah," Mikasa said, "They couldn't have known about your transformation into a Titan, did they?"

"I'm as surprised as you are Mikasa," I told her giving the girl a glance, "The only people who knew are you guys, Commander Erwin and Pixis along with Captain Hange and Moblit now. I doubt any of them would speak with the MPs about it. It makes me wonder if the Ashler is the reason why I'm being targeted and considering how little I know about them…"

"Ashler?" Historia said.

I glanced at the girl. She was looking at me with surprise within her blue eyes, the first time I saw emotions within them since our stay at the small house.

"You know the name?" Eren asked her.

Historia looked down.

"I just…felt like I heard that name somewhere before," she said, "Sorry."

"It's okay," I told her with a light smile.

Levi stayed quiet not saying anything.

* * *

We've reached Trost district the next day around midday. Armin had dressed up as Historia and I couldn't help the grin upon my lips as I looked at him in the long skirt he had. His hair was lengthened with the fake one and Connie and Sasha couldn't help but chortle at him.

"Will you stop laughing?" the young man said, "I'm embarrassed enough as it is."

He fumbled with the long-sleeved shirt that he was wearing.

"Thanks for the shirt Sarah," he said.

"Yeah," I told him, "At least I have one that actually fit you. Despite you and Historia being similar, her clothing however is a different story…. however Armin, be careful okay."

"I will," the young man answered with a small smile, "I'll try not to get your shirt dirty."

I shook my head at him as Levi, Eren and Historia approached. The captain was already dressed in his traveling cloak.

"Eren, Historia, and Sarah," he said, "You'll be in the wagon heading for Pixis. We'll trust that he is on our side since he knows about you. Nifa will be in charge of tailing the wagon to make sure everything goes according to plan. We'll meet up when we're done learning what we can about the reason why they want Eren and Historia."

I nodded at the man giving him a salute as Eren and Historia climbed up into carriage that I was beside. I glanced toward the others noticing the teasing that both Sasha and Connie were giving Armin. I let out a small smile at the sight and my eyes found Mikasa looking in my direction. Her eyes probably followed Eren there and then her eyes met mine.

I gave her a light nod one she returned before I climbed aboard the carriage closing the curtain.

 _Time to see if this plan will work or not._

Looking at both my companions who were already seating down, I placed my rifle on the ground and took a seat beside Historia. Keiji, one of the Scout members who was with us, took his place as the driver and then we were off, the carriage heading straight for Trost District. We were silent inside, the wagon feeling suddenly too large without the rest of the team there. I thought back to the rest of the team and hoped that things went well.

The city of Trost was in full swing when we arrived, moving through the streets quickly. I could hear the conversation of the people, the other carriages moving through the streets. The last time I was in Trost was just the other day when Hange and I went to meet with Nick and the man was found dead by the MPs who probably were the ones who murdered him and the time before that was during the Titan invasion a month ago.

Now that I think about it, Caleb has a home here in Trost didn't it?

"Will it really work again?" Eren spoke out after a while drawing my eyes toward him, "I mean…with that horse face of his. We look nothing alike."

I let out a sigh.

"I doubt looks will matter. I mean, the last time that happened you guys managed to fool the MPs in Stohess."

He looked at me.

"Maybe," he said, "Well, whatever it is, good luck Jean."

 _I hope things work out well this time,_ I thought, _Given the Scout's reputation with risky plans…people always ended up dying one way or another. But those times they were Titans involved and not against people…I hope things go well._

I stayed seated, with my hands joined together listening to the city and the sound of the wheels of the wagon and of the other things that were happening outside. I was worried about the others, but I had to have faith they'll be able to pull through despite how little we have to go on, but we had Captain Levi with us and he is one of the best soldiers in service currently.

 _Yeah, they will be fine._

I glanced up toward Historia who was completely quiet as usual. She was the one that hardly said anything the whole time we have been making the plan. Well, other than the time she mentioned having heard the name Ashler somewhere before.

"Historia," I asked drawing her eyes toward me, "You said you heard the name Ashler before from somewhere right?"

The girl gave a small nod.

"Where did you hear about it?"

Historia stayed silent for a moment, turning her gaze away from me. for a moment, I thought that she wasn't about to answer but then she spoke out.

"Where I lived, before I joined the Cadets" she said, "They were a lot of old books there. I've read all of them at least once before and that's probably where I have read the name."

"A book?" I repeated.

"Yes," she said, "About notable things that some noble families has done in the century since humanity lived within the Walls."

I blinked.

 _Then the Ashler…they were a noble family within the Walls?_

"The book didn't say anything else?" I pressed.

Historia shook her head.

"Sorry, it's just… being a while since I've read it, I don't remember everything," she said.

I let out a smile.

"Don't worry about it," I told her, "What you said give me some ground at least. If they were a noble family within the Walls then there has to be records of them somewhere at least. When we've finished dealing with this crisis at the moment, I'll have an idea of where to start looking."

"Can any of you clue me in on what the hell you guys are talking about?"

Both Historia and I glanced at Eren who looked thoroughly confused at us. I spent some time filling him in about my discovery about the Ashler and their connection to me. The young man seems to think a little.

"Is that what you wanted to talk to Nick about?"

"I wanted to see if he knew anything about Ashler family," I told him, "But the MPs got to him before we could even talk to him and now…the government launched the order for my execution."

I looked down at my joined hands.

"It makes me wonder what did they do for the government to be so afraid," I said softly, "Or why Reiner and Berthold seems to know about them as well if they are from outside of the Walls."

Silence reigned within the wagon at my statement and no one talked after that. The wagon continued through the city until it came to a stop somewhere. I glanced toward the front at the back of our driver making my way toward it.

"Hey you there, out of the way," Keiji yelled.

"What's going on?" I asked him.

"Just a crowd," the man said turning his head toward me, "You just seat back. We're almost where we need to go."

I nodded at him, glancing toward the crowd in front of us which was starting to clear out. I moved back toward my seat glancing at the other two.

"Seems that we're almost there," I told them.

Eren and Historia nodded at but they didn't say anything at all. Then, the sound of a gunshot resonated from somewhere behind us. I glanced at the direction it came from surprised but feeling suddenly tense. Eren seems to be surprised at the sound as well.

"What the hell…?" he asked surprised.

The wagon started to move again, gaining speed.

More shots resonated in the distance.

"Are those gunshots?" I asked no one in particular.

Eren instantly launched himself toward the front to speak with Keiji.

"Hey, are we being attacked or what?" he asked.

"Just stay down," Keiji suddenly yelled at him and shook the reign in his hands.

The wagon picked up even more speed and by Keiji's tone, something must have happened. I feel my heart within my chest hammering with the sudden burst of adrenaline that was within me. Then something tore through the corner of the clothed top of the wagon which was suddenly ripped open, revealing the bright sunlight into the place we were in.

Three people were in the air above us, all of them wearing some strange outfit upon themselves. I stared up at them, shocked at how they could be up there without the sight of the ODM gas canister at their hip but I didn't have time to think for suddenly Historia let out a sudden scream, collapsing upon the floor of the wagon unconscious.

"Historia," both Eren and I yelled, worried and shocked at what had happened.

I turned my gaze toward the people that were in the air, my ODM handles in my hands.

"Eren, get the gun now," I yelled at him.

 _How the hell did they find us?_ I thought, _Did the decoy mission fail?_

The boy did as I asked, reaching where the weapon was but he never reached it for something seems to hit him right in the neck. He raised a hand toward it but he simply collapsed upon the ground out of it just like Historia was. I stared at him shocked at what had happened before drawing out my blades looking at the enemy in front of me, seeing that they were aiming their guns at me.

 _Guns…on an ODM? Impossible…_

Their weapons fired aiming straight at me and I felt pain on my shoulder as I found myself falling out of the wagon and Keiji yelling my name. However, despite me being upside down, I instantly shot out of my cable straight up toward the building nearest to me before launching myself up there with a burst of gas. I landed against the wall, blood dripping my shoulder but I barely noticed it as I glanced up at the direction in front of me finding the carriage going away but Keiji was no longer at the control of it.

A young woman was.

 _Wait…where is…_

"Sarah," a familiar voice yelled out.

I glanced at if finding Captain Levi there. The man had an urgent look upon his face.

"No time to rest, c'mon move, we can't let them take Eren and Historia," he yelled at me.

I nodded launched myself after him following the wagon. I can feel my teeth gritting in anger as the two of us flew through the air together aiming for our target which was turning a corner. We turned the corner as well, finding ourselves face to face with a whole squadron of the MPs in the strange ODM gear that allowed them to wield guns…

Without he even said a word, the two of us reacted as one. While Levi used his gear to reverse toward the ground, I launched one toward the left and just as the soldiers opened fire upon us. I didn't even look behind me launching straight toward an alleyway as more gunshots echoed around me. I aimed low toward the ground, letting my boot slide upon the floor before launching two hooks upward aiming each of them aiming straight toward one of the buildings that were beside me.

I launched upward with a burst of gas, and started to move again, avoiding obstacles and poles that were around, chancing a glance behind me. I noticed three soldiers with the strange ODM following after me all of them armed with guns, which sounded quite impossible but the proof was the reason I have a bleeding shoulder right about now.

 _Shit…I won't be losing my team…not again,_ I thought, _I have to get rid of these guys and meet up with captain Levi again then we can save Eren and Historia…_

My eyes spied a bridge here and I quickly changed direction hearing the others following me as well. As I was moving through the air, I clicked on a pair of blades, drawing them out before passing beneath the bridge. At the same time, I launched my cable straight at the side of the bridge which I quickly pulled myself up and stabbed my blades against its side, landing on a crouch there.

The three people that were following me passed bellow, just a few seconds after that, most of them looking around but never up. The first two passed first and then the third one some time after and that was when a struck. I unhooked my cable letting myself free fall for a few seconds before launching my hooks forward aiming straight toward the third one's turned back.

With the speed I was moving, he barely had time to react when I was upon him stabbing him straight through his neck, his blood splattering upon my clothing and face. I broke the blade from the handle in my hand and continued forward, my eyes fixed upon the other two. I attached another blade in place while I zoomed straight at the men who's attention was drawn toward me.

"Hey…," he yelled out but didn't even have time to raise his gun due to how close I was to him.

 _It's just a Titan's nape…_

My blades moved, slicing at his throat with precision causing him to gurgle as piece of his throat flew out from the strike of my pairing blades, blood staining my clothing and my blades. The third guy, noticing what I had done, aimed his weapon straight at me.

" _YOU FUCKING BITCH_ ," he yelled.

I twisted my body into a horizontal position just as he fired and I heard the building behind me crack from the shot. Then with my right hand, I unhooked the blade from the handle and launched it at him with all the strength I had. I noticed how his eyes widened lightly at the deadly projectile spinning in his direction for a split second before it was buried in his head, deep into his skull.

Then he was dead, his body crashing against the wall of a building with a sickening crunch, hanging there since his hook was still attached to the wall. I landed down on the ground in a crouch, reeling my hook back in. I glanced at the body in front of me seeing the blood that was against the wall it hit and it was then I realized just how hard I was breathing.

I glanced at my hands which were wet from the blood that was on my handle… _the blood of the man I just killed…_ and they were shaking. Both of my hands were shaking stained with blood.

 _Blood of the men I killed without hesitation._

" _In this world, If you want something Sarah, you're going to have to fight with all your heart for it. This world we lived in, it's going to want to bury you with cruelty and despair, but you have to crawl with all your might and even then you might not get it."_

 _Maria let out a small chuckle._

" _Wishing for it," she continued, "Is not going to get you anywhere. All you can do is stand on your own two feet and fight because that's the only way you survive."_

I opened my eyes, staring up at the body in front of me.

 _Fight for that's the only way you survive,_ I thought.

I glanced down at my hands and they were stilled. Steam rose from the wounds that on my shoulder and it slowly disappeared until it was completely gone.

 _No more hesitation._

My hands tightened into fists.

 _I hesitated so many times in the past and that always cost me…well no more. They get in my way…they die._

The sounds of gunshots in the distance drew my eyes toward the direction they were coming from.

 _Captain Levi._

Launching my cable forward I left the area I was in, as well as the bodies that were in it.

* * *

 **No more hesitation...Sarah's resolve grow...**

 **Next Time:** Blood on My Hands part 2


	39. Blood on my Hands part 2

**Hey guys, here is an update in this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far. Sorry for the lack of update last week. life suddenly got busy.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this one.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah holding upon a flower with blood dripping between her fingers.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Blood on My Hands part 2

I flew out of the alleyway I was in, zooming above the rooftops before landing down upon one of them. Looking down, I attached a blade in the empty handle I had in my right hand before looking forward again, resolve steeled to do what needs to be done. Then, I launched myself forward following the sounds of the gunshots that were echoing in the distance in front of me moving quickly using a lot of gas to be able to go as fast I was.

I still didn't understand how the MPs could have an ODM that was able to carry guns instead of swords. I mean, guns will be useless against Titans if those things were to be used against them however, the stray thought did come into my mind that those ODM were not made to fight against Titans in the first place. That they were made to battle against other ODM users or even giving the users an advantage in a battle against people.

 _And I doubt that it was common knowledge that they even invented something like that,_ I thought darkly, _Just how much is the government hiding from us really? First the Walled in Titans, then this…_

I shook my head.

 _This is not the time to think about this. I need to focus on getting Eren and Historia back._

"Sarah," a familiar voice yelled out.

I instantly turned my head at the direction it came from finding the rest of the guys there. Sasha, Connie, Armin and Mikasa along with Jean. They didn't look like they had been fighting from the looks of it as they were all wearing their traveling cloaks upon their forms.

"You guys," I said.

"What the hell happened to you?" Jean asked, a horrified look on his face as he looked at me, "Is this…blood?"

"Are you hurt?" Mikasa asked, "Where is Eren?"

"The blood is not mine," I told them, "We were ambushed by the MPs and they're using a strange ODM gears that allowed them to use guns. I thought the decoy mission would have been able to draw their attention but I guess that plan failed."

"But we caught someone hired by the MP," Connie said confusedly, "You mean they had another team go after you?"

"Look, it's Captain Levi," Armin suddenly yelled staring off somewhere.

I instantly turned my gaze toward where he was looking at and sure enough, I recognize the small form of Captain Levi moving through the air as he was.

"He seems to be following the wagon with Eren and Historia," Sasha said, "But they don't seem to be moving at all."

"Then we move in," I yelled at them.

Suddenly one of the MPs was there following after Levi and aiming his gun at the man, firing. Seeing the strange ODM gears, Jean let out a "What was that?" as the two battle against each other, thought he didn't last long against Levi who used his sword in a savage attack that split the man in half causing blood and intestine to fly out everywhere.

"Captain Levi," I yelled.

The man instantly turned his gaze toward our direction, taking us in. I noticed that blood was falling from the side of his face meaning that he got injured in the time that we have been separated. Captain Levi instantly was on the move again as we all joined him.

"Listen up," he yelled, "These soldiers are trained to fight against other people. They've already taken out three of our own…I thought they got you to Sarah, but it seems you managed. If you hesitate for a second, you're dead. If you see an opening you take it and go for the kill."

I gave the man a look before tightening my grip upon the blood-soaked handle that I was holding.

"Yes sir," Mikasa answered, her tone determined.

 _I guess when I didn't see Keiji that mean he was killed as well…,_ I thought.

"Of course," I answered him, "No more hesitation from me."

Captain Levi didn't waste any time getting into the action as he jumped forward, using the roof of a food stand as a trampoline, sending one of his cable straight toward the guy that stood over Eren and Historia slumped form, and yanking him off of the moving wagon. A sickening crunching sound was briefly heard over the sound of the wind and there is no way that this guy was going to get back up given the awkward angle of his neck.

I moved forward once more aiming straight toward one of the other MPs that were nearby along with a savage yell, slicing him in the face, as half of his head flew off, blood flying everywhere as he dropped like a stone toward the ground.

"Jean, Armin secure the wagon," Captain Levi yelled out, "We'll keep the others off of you."

The two did as he asked aiming straight down toward the wagon which the woman was driving and she turned toward them. Mikasa however, launched down as well, kicking the driver in the face as she was sent flying down upon the floor with Jean above her. But Jean didn't do anything for he was suddenly pushed back and then the lady had her gun aimed at him…

 _NO…,_ I thought zooming down.

"Jean," Mikasa yelled coming down to help as well.

A shot rang out.

The lady's head was suddenly covered in blood as a hole appeared right in the middle of her forehead and then she fell to the side and out of the wagon. Armin was the one who turned back with a gun in his hand, which was smoking from the shot.

Then before we could get our baring, more MPs appeared with their guns aimed down toward both Armin and Jean. Since I was already zooming down toward them, I instantly dove for the blonde guy, showing him out of the way just as another figure did the same for Jean. More shots ran out and I heard the wood of the wagon splintering before I landed down the ground with Armin beside me.

More shots ran out, drawing my gaze toward the wagon. The enemy had captured it once more and they were all firing toward us forcing us to fall back away as they crossed the gate of the district out into the flat lands that were outside.

 _Shit…Our ODM will be useless out here…_

Mikasa had made to follow but Captain Levi was there, to stop her.

"Wait…let them go," he said, "Our gear won't amount to much on open fields and without horses, we won't be able to catch up."

"No…," Mikasa said, struggling "EREN…. _EREN_."

Her voice echoed for her brother…but no one answered back.

I stood up looking at the entrance of the district with anger causing my body to shake with the rage of failing of protecting Eren and Historia. I heard Armin gasping in shock drawing my gaze toward him, the boy staring at the gun in his hand, probably in shock at what he had just done.

"We need to get off the streets," Captain Levi said as he stared at us, "all these gunshots will draw civilians out, and we don't need to be here for them to see us right now. We'll head out toward the location where the kidnappers took our bait. At least it will be out of the way."

The group nodded at him and we all left the area moving away from the gate. Armin looked subdued throughout the way there and there was a dead silence as we were all weighted at what had just happened. Thought I didn't feel that way at all, all I felt was more…anger at myself for failing again in protecting someone that I was close to. When we reached the place that we were heading to, Armin didn't enter with us probably wanting to stay outside and Mikasa stayed with him.

I looked down at my clothing realizing that the blood upon it was starting to dry up. I went to get a bucket and made my way outside to get water from the river and that was when I found Armin heaving into it, sounding like he was vomiting.

"I'm sorry," he was saying, and from his voice he sounded like he was crying, "I'm…sorry I…"

"It's okay," Mikasa answered him softly.

I didn't disturb them, as I made my way down toward the stairs and took some water from the flowing river. Then when it was filled, I walked back up the flight of stairs, making my way back inside the warehouse that we had taken refuge in. I entered inside the room finding Captain Levi and the others inside thought no one was in the way of talking yet.

I made my way through the place and sat in the corner on a box with a light and seating upon a box. I removed the strap upon my shoulders for the ODM before working on removing the shirt I was wearing. I stared at it, noticing the blood stains that were upon it. They were a lot more than I thought…

" _Give her back to me you monster…"_

 _Blood on the floor…dripping one drop after another upon the ground._

 _Pain on my head…fear in my heart…_

 _The eyes that stared down at me once with kindness now were filled with hatred…_

" _Uncle…"_

My movements were mechanical as I dipped my bloodied hands into the water and started to clean them up. The water that was once clear and reflective became blood filled and dirty as I worked silently in my corner removing the blood from my hands and when I was done with them, they were just as clean as they were this morning…

I took the rag that was beside me and I dipped into the water. I raised it toward my left shoulder, and started to clean the blood that was there from the wound that I had and yet, there was no wound at all upon my shoulder since it healed up back in the alley. The sound of footsteps caused me to look up finding Sasha there, holding her rifle on her shoulder.

"Sarah…," she said, her eyes straying toward the bloodied shirt that was beside the bucket I was using, "Where you hurt?"

I removed the rag I was using, revealing the clean shoulder that I possess. No trace that I had ever been shot in the first place.

"Not anymore," I answered her, "You're going outside on guard duty?"

She nodded.

"Yeah," she answered, "I…I think I need to clear my mind today, after all that happened."

I nodded at her placing the rag in the water and twisting it. The blood that fell out was mixed with the water in front of me.

"Well, don't let me keep you then," I answered her.

Sasha looked like she wanted to say something else but I simply looked away from her refocusing upon working on removing the blood stains that were upon my face. When I removed the rag from my face, a hand was holding out a shirt in front of me. I turned my gaze toward the brown-haired girl, a confused feeling shooting through me.

"It's the shirt you let Armin borrow for the body double mission," she said, "I think you'll want it more than…well this one. It's kind of torn and has blood all over it."

I glanced at the bloodied shirt. She had a point. I took the shirt she was holding out for me.

"Thanks."

She smiled lightly at me and before she left gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze and stepping out of the building. I stared at her retreating back for a few moments and then turned toward my work again dabbing at my face until I was sure it was clean before placing on the shirt, she had given me on and strapping the ODM straps on my shoulders again.

With me done, I made my way back toward the others who were all seating around a lamp that was set up in the middle of a circle. Captain Levi looked up at me as I approached as well as Jean and Mikasa.

"You cleaned up the blood," he said, "At least you don't look like a crazed serial killer now."

"That's charming sir," I answered dryly taking a seat on his left taking one of the rations that he handed to me.

I bit into it. Ration foods never tasted good but it was the only thing we had to eat at the moment so I can't complain about the taste right now. I needed the energy because after a day like today, it was a draining experience killing someone in cold blood…

"Sarah,"

I glanced up my eyes finding Connie.

"Ho…How did you get so much blood on your clothing?" he asked.

I stayed silent for a moment.

"I got separated from the Captain when we were chasing the wagon," I started, "Three of them followed after me with the intend to end my life…I made sure that I was the one who walked out of that encounter rather than them…and killing someone with a sword is a lot messier than with a gun that can be shot from a distance…with a sword, you'd have to get in close and personal…"

My hand tightened around the ration I was holding.

"It was strange though…," I continued, "In that moment…my mind had gone completely blank and there was no thoughts…I just…killed them, one after the other like I had done it a thousands time before. It was almost like someone else was in control of my body and I was just along for the ride…"

 _Just like back then…_

" _I never realized…just how easy it was to kill a person_ ," I said softly, "I mean…I have seen people die getting eaten by Titans and how quickly they've died…I just never paused to think, that people could actually kill other people that quickly as well…"

"Did you enjoy killing them?"

The sudden question took me off guard. I quickly glanced up toward Captain Levi who was looking at me with a blank expression upon his features yet I felt like his eyes were staring straight into my soul with how sharp they were.

"How can you ask her that?" Mikasa suddenly argued.

"I'm talking to Sarah not you," Captain Levi glanced at her sharply before refocusing on me, "Well girl, did you enjoy taking that kill? Seeing the life disappear behind their eyes? Did you enjoy watching them die?"

 _Did I…enjoy it?_

I stayed frozen where I sat, my eyes wide as I thought back to what had happened.

 _Was that what I felt in that moment? Joy at their deaths…Joy at seeing how easily they were killed…as they were trying to kill me?_

 _No…No it wasn't joy._

"I didn't feel any joy," I answered, "I didn't feel any sadness either. All I felt was that they were in the way. I hesitated in the past and my comrades paid with their lives. I promised myself that I will never hesitate again. Whether it will be humans or Titans, anyone who stand in my way or threaten me or the people I've sworn to protect, I will kill them all."

Captain Levi continued to stare at me in silence before looking away.

"At long as you can know which are enemies and which are allies," he said, "You're not eating Armin? Did this filthy place got to you?"

"It's not that…," the blond guy said, "I was just…rethinking what happened earlier today in my mind. It's like…an endless loop. That woman…went I turned around, she already had her weapon aimed at Jean…how did I managed to shoot first?"

An ashen look appeared upon the other guy's face as he looked down.

"I…I don't know," he said.

"You shot first because she hesitated," Captain Levi said.

We all glanced at him.

"It's that simple."

A silence.

"I'm sorry Armin," Jean answered him, "You wouldn't have had to save me if I had done my damn job."

"It's okay," Armin told him, "The woman I shot back there…she must have been a kind person…she must have a lot more humanity than I ever did. I pulled that trigger so easily…without a thought…I'm now…"

"A killer," Captain Levi said bluntly, "And now that you've soak your hands in blood, the person that you once were is gone for good."

"Why would you say that?" Mikasa argued.

Levi ignored her, continuing to talk, his eyes having never left Armin's face.

"And _you shouldn't regret it._ Because if your hands had remained clean, then Jean would be a corpse on a wagon right now. I'll tell you why you pulled the trigger, you shot first because your friend was about to die. Armin, everyone in our squad is alive today because you got blood in your hands, both you and Sarah…thank you."

A silence settled within the room as we were all thinking about those words. I simply took a bite from the ration in my hand, chewing upon it.

"Captain Levi sir," Jean spoke out, "I thought it was wrong for us to fight other humans. I thought it was wrong you ordered us to do it. I mean, we became soldiers to protect people…but now, I see that I was in the wrong sir…next time I swear I'll shoot."

"I never said anything about what's right or wrong," Captain Levi told him.

Jean gave him a shocked look and I was surprised at the blunt answer the shorter man had given him.

"My morale high ground has been shot to hell," the man continued, "So I'm not even sure who's in the right at this point."

"Right and wrong?" I said, "Who gives a shit about that?"

I looked up at everyone who were all looking at me.

"They threw our Commander in jail. These people killed three of our comrades," I said, "And they've kidnapped another two. Right and wrong has nothing to do with us fighting to get them back. We're the Scouts, and we've been fighting and dying to get out of this caged world and reclaim the lands we've lost. But these people don't want that. They want to squash all hope we have of reclaiming Wall Maria and the lands beyond. If getting my hands soaked in their blood is what will get us Eren and Historia back, then that's what I'm going to do."

I can feel an white hot anger rising within me from somewhere. I don't know where it came from but it gives me determination to do what needs to be done.

" _I'm done living in these walls."_

* * *

 **NO POV**

Captain Levi was staring at the brown-haired girl, his face devoid of emotion and yet…something about her made him feel uneasy. He remembers all too well when he saw her join them her clothing completely covered in blood and the way she spoke out them, the cold mechanical way she described how she was feeling about it, if he didn't know any better, he would have thought of her to be a trained assassin who was used to kill people all the time.

From how she reacted to how she killed these people, Levi knew that this wasn't this girl's first time killing someone. Armin's reaction was more akin to what was expected of someone when they first killed another person. Disbelief, disgust or at least feeling sick within themselves.

And yet, there was no trace of that at all upon her face, despite the blood she had upon herself. He had seen when she had been cleaning the blood from her hands from that bucket and how steady her hands were…

 _She definitely has killed before…the question remains who? The mystery around you continues to rise Sarah Reyne._

When the girl was talking about right and wrong and the speech that came after, Levi didn't know if it was a trick of the light that was in front of her or if anyone had noticed it but for a moment, those amber eyes of hers burned gold…and the anger that was in her tone caused him to remember Pastor Nick's almost forgotten words now.

 _Beware of the girl with the golden eyes…_

They were too many abnormalities surrounding Sarah Natalova Reyne and Levi was going to keep a close eye upon her from now on. Despite the girl saying that she was on their side, Levi knows all too well signs that showed the descend into a cold-blooded killer.

After all, he has gone down a similar path in the Underground after Kenny left...

At least before Farlan and Isabel became his friends…

And cold-blooded killers are known to kill without hesitation or remorse and they are not known to have many friends…

Kenny the Reaper was a prime example of someone like that and there is no way he was going to stand and let another _Reaper_ be born right in front of him.

* * *

 **Turning point for Sarah and the Scouts...**

 **Next Time:** Heir

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	40. Heir

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Historia's back as she was looking out toward a fence in front of her.

Chapter Forty

Heir

"Well then," Captain Levi spoke out after a while.

The silence which had settled within the room we were in after that was broken by the short man's words. He stood up from where he was seating turning his gaze toward a corner of the room. I followed his gaze finding people there tied up against the poles of the warehouse. I hadn't even noticed their presence before and it made me wonder about who they really were.

"I think it's time to hear what our guest has to say," Levi continued as he started to walk toward one of the man that was tied by the pole.

We made to follow after him and I got a good look at the man that was there. He was a portly man with a balding head. He was a little around in the face as well with wide brown eyes that were filled with uncertainty and apprehension as Levi approached toward him. From how he was dressed I would have to guess he is quite well off…probably a noble or a merchant even.

Levi removed the bind that was around his lips and the man started to talk almost immediately.

"Mercy please," he spoke out, "I'm just a simple merchant that they use to move cargo around, I didn't want to…"

" _I've met this one before,"_ Mikasa spoke from beside me.

I gave her a light glance at that.

"Where?"

"Back in Trost, the day the Titan destroyed the Gate," Mikasa answered, her dark gaze fixated on the man in front of us, "He seems to be a prominent merchant. He was blocking the Gate with his merchandise…it's why the evacuation took so long to complete that day."

I turned toward the man remembering back just a month earlier when the Colossal Titan destroyed the Gate and all the mayhem that followed after that. My entire squad getting wiped out, the suicide mission in Headquarter, Eren's transformation…blocking the Gate with the boulder…

 _Hard to believe all that happened in this very city,_ I thought to myself.

"I know him," Levi said, "Dimo Reeves right?"

"Reeves?" I repeated surprised, "Of the Reeves Company? I never expected you people to be in bed with the MPs."

The man, Dimo turned his gaze away from us. He seemed to have dropped the façade of the cowardly man he was doing earlier; his expression seems to have gotten grave as well.

"This damn job was forced upon us by the Military Police," he admitted to us, "And now that we've completely botched it, they'll plunder the Reeve Company for everything it's worth. First they'll kill me then they'll arrange accidents for all my employees…my dumb son too…"

The guy across us reacted to that, drawing my gaze toward him. I can see the resemblance between the two of them. Must be the aforementioned son.

"And you're just going to lay down and take it?" Levi asked.

That drew Dimo's eyes him.

"There is a reason Trost recovered from that Titan attack," the Captain continued his gaze on the man in front of us, "It's because of jobs and money brought in by the Reeve's Company. Tell me, if your company were to disappear, how many would survive the coming winter?"

Dimo frowned lightly.

"So what…you want me to join you?" he asked, not keeping the scepticism from his tone.

"We just need to know where Eren and Historia are," Levi said, "If you're in contact with the MPs…I think I have a plan."

Dimo looked at him.

"Can you give me your word that the people of Trost won't end up starving to death?" he asked.

Levi kneeled down in front of him.

"I can't guarantee it," he simply, "That being said…I believe they'll have a better chance siding with us than without. You heard our conversation back there did you not and what our comrade said. The people up there doesn't want thing to change…while this is the entire reason the Scouts even exist in the first place."

The man stood up again. I stared down toward Dimo for a few moments.

"Do you know the name Caleb Valentine?" I asked drawing his gaze toward me.

The look in Dimo's eyes sharpened.

"I know the name," he said, "I'm surprised that someone like you even heard of him."

"If you're worried about Trost, I can put in a good word for you to him," I told the man, "His company could collaborate with yours. That should be good enough to help the people of Trost when the government doesn't care."

"Why would you do that?"

"Because the Scouts have never hidden anything," I told him, "We carry both our shame and defeat for the walls to see. Who would you trust in these times Dimo Reeves? The people content to watch in the shadows and let the common folk suffers or those who fight and die for changes to happen?"

Dimo Reeve stayed silent for a moment and then, a small smirk appeared upon his lips.

"You Scouts are more connected than I thought," he said, "Fine you've got yourself a deal girly but you better make sure to hold on to that promise of yours."

I smiled.

"I will."

Dimo Reeves was freed along with his son as the man rubbed his wrists probably feeling the stings of being held there for so long. I turned my gaze toward the Captain.

"What is the plan?" Armin asked, looking at Levi, "You said you have an idea on how to go on about that."

Levi glanced at him.

"It's simple," he said, "We get the MP to come to us. Dimo here is going to be our middle men. Given that he is probably still in contact with them, he could get them to trust him and bring whoever they are to us. The soldiers that probably forced the job to take Eren and Historia from us on to them."

The short man glanced at Dimo.

"Isn't that right?"

"It should be easy to get them to come with me," he said, "I was supposed to get back to them when I captured Eren and Historia but if I told them that I found the Sarah Gray girl that they're looking for instead, that should sent them running at us."

"Good," Levi said, "Also, we'll be taking one of your carriage. Getting out of Trost will not be as easy as how we entered."

"I'll smuggle you out," Dimo said, "Then, I'll go back and get the soldiers."

Levi nodded at him and on that note, we started to get things done carrying boxes back toward the carriage outside. I was now wearing my hood upon my head as we moved things inside the carriage outside. The sun was already setting in the distance behind us, bathing the sky in a scarlet color as red as blood. I stared at it for a few moments, suddenly reminded of the people I killed today and how much my hands were soaked with their blood.

I looked at my hands which were clean of the blood and yet in as the scarlet color of the sky was reflected upon my hands, it was like they were as stained as before I cleaned them off. Shaking my head of these thoughts, I turned toward the carriage and climbed inside following after Connie and Sasha.

"Let's move," Levi spoke out.

The carriage set off into the distance leaving Trost behind.

It was the fourth time I have come to Trost and left it changed.

I wonder how it will be the fifth time?

* * *

The place Dimo made us stay was a shabby looking place with a single toward rising outside. It was a small home but was much bigger on the inside as the group made their way inside with the captain. The merchant and his son has left just as quickly wanting to go and get the plan under way. Captain Levi who had entered inside the home at this time, glanced at us with a light frown.

"When Dimo returns, I want you all in position," he said, "On my signal, you'll move in fast and quick take out the support before they realize we were there. We don't know how many MPs Dimo will bring with him so there is a chance this might turn into a battle so keep the rifles at the ready and don't hesitate to shoot if necessary, understood."

We all nodded at him and with our gears at the ready, we made our way out of the building. I turned my gaze toward Mikasa and then made my way toward the girl, gently taking her arm.

"Mikasa, can we talk?"

She glanced at me, blinking in surprise.

"Yes, what's the matter?" she asked.

I looked away from her eyes, for a few seconds before turning toward her again.

"I wanted to apologize," I told her, "I was the one in the carriage with Eren and Historia. I should have done better to get them back."

A hand was upon my shoulder. The look on her face was softer and yet there was this strength behind those dark eyes as they observed and I knew just by looking into them that Mikasa didn't feel as I did. She never blamed me at all for what had happened.

"Don't worry about it," she said, "We'll get both of them back soon enough."

I let out a small laugh.

"Yeah…I guess I was worried about this for nothing," I said shaking my head lightly.

Mikasa gave me one of those small smile of hers before we got in position around the entrance where Dimo was going to drive the wagon. We didn't have to wait long before the sound of hooves reached us as well as the sound of the wagon's wheels. I was beside Mikasa in the front as the two of us where up a tree and seeing the horse with the MP upon it followed by the wagon and there was another horse behind it.

The guys would probably be handling that side then.

"We don't know how many inside the wagon," I whispered to her.

"Probably not a whole lot," Mikasa answered, "You take care of the horsemen, I'll deal with the one inside the wagon."

I smirked.

"Yes, ma'am."

At Captain Levi's signal, we all swooped down from our perch. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of our cloaks dancing in the wind as well as the wire of the ODM in use. I aimed straight down at the rider and with a well placed hit at the back of his head, he was down for the count.

Mikasa headed straight toward the front of the wagon passing Dimo and his son before the sound of something hitting flesh filled the air.

"Clear," Levi said from the back.

"Clear, I said from where I was.

"Clear," Mikasa said from within the wagon.

After I secured the MP I knocked out, I approached toward the wagon as Dimo was looking back inside.

"Sorry gents," he said, "But that's that."

Mikasa had jumped out with her rifle on her back as from the back, Jean, Armin and Connie were working on pulling the two MPs that were inside the wagon out. However, as I stared at them, one of them was familiar to me.

"I know this one," I said looking at the dark-haired man that Jean was holding.

"And how is it that you know him?" Levi asked.

"He was the MP that was at the barrack when Nick was murdered," I said looking at the unconscious man, "Jell Sannes was what Captain Hange called him. He is one of the men who killed the pastor."

Levi stared down at him, the look in his eyes seemed to be colder than usual.

"Good," he said, "We'll start with him then."

"Start with him?" Armin asked, "What are you planning to do?"

Levi didn't answer him.

"Take the others to the cell below," he said, "Sannes is coming with me."

I noticed the group exchanging looks among themselves but they did as the Captain ordered, taking the men in the cells below the abandoned building that we were currently staying in. I closed the door behind me when we were done as we locked them inside thought the Captain didn't take Sannes there. He took him into another part of the building in one of the empty rooms.

I glanced toward it for a few moments before making my way back up the stairs. As I was walking a sudden scream rose from within the room causing me to look back in shock. Despite the door was closed, I could still hear the screams and it sounded like someone was getting beaten up from what I could hear. I turned my gaze away from the heavy metal door and returned toward where the rest of the team was waiting.

When I opened the door, Armin looked at me.

"W…What is happening out there?" he asked.

"I think…we have a pretty good idea," Jean said, "Fuck."

I closed the door behind me, muffling the screams that were coming from below.

"That's what he meant by starting with him first," I said softly, "He was going to torture him…just like they did to Pastor Nick."

Connie had both of his hands at his ears as if he could muffle the screams that were coming down from below. I picked up the rifle that was leaning against the wall.

"I've got first watch," I told them before making my way out of the building and into the night outside. I pulled my hood up as I stepped outside with my gun in hand. The carriage Dimo was using was no longer there as they probably left as soon as we had taken care of the MPs. I leaned against the small wall at the edge of the small garden that was around the house and I stayed there for a while, letting the silence of the night comfort me.

The sounds of approaching horses snapped me back in attention as I instantly glanced toward the direction they were coming from. Using my gear I aimed straight up into the trees nearby finding a perch and aiming my rifle straight at the approaching horses. They were two of them dressed in traveling cloaks. When they reached the house, one of them stepped off the horse and removed the hood revealing herself to be Captain Hange.

"Captain Hange," I said lowering myself down.

The woman turned her gaze toward me.

"Sarah," she said, "Good you're here. Where is Levi? Has he found a lead yet?"

"He's…still working on it," I answered her approaching, "The MPs we've captured are enjoying his company at the moment. There is a familiar face you would remember among them. Sannes."

A glint appeared in Hange's eyes.

"Is that so?" she murmured, "Sarah, there is something I need to talk to you about…however, now is not the time…We need that intel fast, if what I theorized is correct, Eren might not have a lot of time left."

I nodded at her as we all entered inside the house where the rest of the group was…all of them, safe for Mikasa, were seating around the table, pale in the face as they were probably listening to the screams for some time now. Hange and her companion, Moblit simply moved off toward where Levi was probably torturing Sannes.

And it wasn't long before the screams started up again.

"Here they go again," Jean said softly.

"The screams seem a lot louder than when the Captain did it," Sasha admitted.

"I…I know we're doing this to get our friends back but…this is making me feel sick," Connie added.

I leaned against the wall beside Mikasa letting out a soft sigh.

"Let's face the fact," Armin spoke up, "We're criminals now."

The group was startled at the revelation. I glanced up at the young man and since I was looking at his back, I couldn't see the expression that was upon his face but I can imagine what it would be. It won't be so dissimilar to what he looked like when he killed that woman.

"Our last enemy wanted to eat us," Armin continued, "We don't have an excuse like that to killing these people. It's just that their views's different...no, it's just that they're in another group and for that we'll take their lives…"

"Armin…," Mikasa said and I could tell she wanted to say more but what could be said?

"It's usually how wars starts," I spoke softly, drawing their eyes toward me, "It was said that long ago, before the Titans humanity used to fight against itself…whether it's for lands, different ideals, or even different religions…I guess a concept like that is quite strange inside the Walls."

"That doesn't excuse what is being done here," Armin said, not turning around to face me.

"I never said that it does," I answered him, "But we've already faced things like that…unless you've forgotten what Reiner, Berthold and Annie had done to us for the past five years since Wall Maria fell."

A silence settled within the room at what I said. The look in their eyes were different but they realized the truth of my words. Humans have been fighting against Humans long before the Titans came to existence and it seems that hadn't changed even with the giant monsters roaming outside the walls. Fighting was just part of human nature.

"And what are you getting at Sarah?" Jean asked, his tone grave.

"That we've been fighting against humans long before we knew a person could transform into a Titan," I answered him, "it's been a hundred years since the walls were created and it took a human to break through it. The Titans didn't destroy Wall Maria…humans did. Titans didn't destroy the Gate in Trost…a Human did. Titans aren't murderers…humans are."

I let out an humorless chuckle.

"Humanity's hands have always been soaked in blood," I said, "It's in our very nature to kill each other and we've been doing it long before the Titans existed and we'll probably continue doing it long after the Titans are gone…our entire history is shaped by violence and blood…It doesn't matter how many monsters we kill…the last one will always be the one that looked at us from the mirror…"

"You look kind of creepy with that smile you know," Connie spoke looking at me with a shocked look on his face.

I stared at him confusedly for a moment before realizing that I was actually smiling. I didn't even remember when I started to smile so I instantly dropped the smile that was upon my face. I placed a hand upon my face.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mikasa asked me, "I mean…with what happened back in Trost…."

"I'm fine Mikasa," I answered her curtly, "I…I'm just…fine."

The door opened and Hange walked out along with Moblit, and Captain Levi. The trio looked surprised for a moment and I turned my gaze toward them, wondering exactly what was going on.

"Sannes broke," Hange said, "He told us the truth about the Reiss family and why they are so suddenly interested in her…The King ruling right now is a fake…the Reiss family is the true Royal family…not an ordinary noble family as they've been posing as."

"The true royal family…?" Jean said shocked.

"Wait…are you saying that the man we thought was the king…isn't the King?" Sasha asked.

"That's exactly what I am saying," Hange spoke out, "And…the heir to the throne is none other than Historia Reiss, daughter of Lord Reiss."

 _Historia…_ I thought shocked.

"You're saying…the heir to the Throne…is Historia?" Armin said, sounding floored by what we were just told.

"Yes, and based on that knowledge," Hange said, "We're assuming that both her and Eren were taken to Lord Reiss."

She exchanged a look with Moblit who rolled open a portrait against the wall. The portrait was of a portly man with a moustache wearing a hat.

" _That's him."_ Moblit said.

"Then this man, if he has both Eren and Historia," Jean said.

"Then he is the man that we're after," Hange spoke out.

The image of both Reiner and Ymir appeared within my mind as I recalled the moment Ymir had switched side to them. I turned my attention away from the group and slipped away from them. I made my way down the stairs aiming straight toward the metal door where Levi had been torturing the man called Sannes.

I pushed the door open finding him still there, tied to the chair.

 _It's time I get my own answers._

* * *

 **The truth is slowly coming to light...But what answers wait for Sarah?**

 **Next Time:** Cursed Blood

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	41. Cursed Blood

**Hey guys, hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, here is the next update of this fic.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah standing in front of Sannes as she was glaring down at the man on the chair.

Chapter Forty-One

Cursed Blood

Sannes looked…rough.

His shirt was completely bloodstained and face was purple in some place and he was missing nails form his fingers. The man's left eye was swollen shut and his nose seems to be at an awkward angle. He didn't seem to be awake as of yet but he looked defeated in the room light by the small candle left on the side table that was near him filled with multiple tools that were also bloodstained. I guess it makes sense as to why he was screaming so loudly now. Hange and Levi were torturing the man for answers.

"You…," he whispered.

I glanced up at him noticing his working eye was opened. The eye was staring at me and I stared right back defiantly at the broken man that was tied to the chair in front of me.

"You're that girl from that day," he said, "If I knew you were the ones we have been looking for, you wouldn't have walked away…that day."

I didn't say anything, but just stared at him for a moment.

"The only reason I was in the barracks that day was because I wanted to speak to Pastor Nick," I revealed to him, "But you Interior goons got to him first and murdered the man before I could ask him my questions. However, given what you've revealed about the royal family, I guess you're in a talkative mood."

I glared at him.

"How about you tell me everything that you know about the Ashler family?"

Sannes stared at me for a moment before looked down toward his lap.

"I haven't that name in a long time," he said, "But I don't know much about them other than words of mouth."

"It's better than I have a minute ago," I said crossing my arms, "Just who were they? Why were they all killed?"

Sannes looked back up at me.

"They were a noble family," he spoke out, "As far as I've heard, and they had a close relationship with the Reiss family…don't ask me why for even I don't know the reason as to why that was so. However, what was known about them was that they were all pale skinned with amber eyes much like you. I can tell by just looking at you girl, you match every description I've heard about that wretched family."

I stayed still.

 _Pale skinned…amber eyes…._ I thought remembering Maria and my mother, _perfect description of my mother and her sister as well…then…_

"Why were they all killed?" I asked him.

"Because of their cursed blood," Sannes said, "At least…as far as I could tell. What was said about them was that they grew a dispute between the Ashler and the Reiss family and that dispute almost grew into a civil war right within our Walls. We of the first Interior squad did our duties, killing anyone that was close to that family as well as burning their home down to the ground with the family members still inside."

I stared at him.

"That family was believed to have been ripped from our walls," Sannes continued, "cleansed our world of that cursed bloodline…and yet, you stand here in front of me. You Ashlers should have been ripped from this world root and stems."

"What does that mean cursed blood?" I yelled at him, taking hold of his collar, "What did the Reiss family has to fear from them?"

"You would have thrown our Walls into a civil war have your kind allowed to remain," Sannes answered, "do you know how hard it is to live in such a cramped place and have peace reigns for a hundred years? However, your kind wanted war and ignited it. You wanted chaos and destruction of the peace built by our King…and have the blood of the people color the streets."

Sannes lone eyes became a glare.

"You believed that they were innocent?" he asked, "That they were a simple family that we killed just for the hell of it. Anyone who threatened the peace written by the First King's will have to disappear and even if that came from the King's inner circle. They all have to die so that peace can stand. If one had remained than the threat wasn't over…"

I glared at him.

"You're lying," I yelled at him.

"Lying am I?" Sannes said, "I've lived a bloodstained life and my crimes were justified in the service of the King…what of the blood that is on your hands Ashler? Can you justify the brutal killings that you've done to threaten the will of the King?"

I glared at him.

"I can justify why I've killed," I spoke and I could feel as if someone else was speaking in my ears and I was just repeating the words they were saying, "I've killed because I didn't want to live the lie anymore."

Sannes stared at me.

"A hundred of years," I repeated, "How many lives are worth that lie Fritz?"

My hand moved toward the table beside me, picking up one of the tools there.

"But now, it's going to end soon," I said softly repeating what the voice was saying, "the false King will be dethroned…and the Walls will no longer be our cage. When the truth from that basement is revealed…the world will change once more and you won't be here to see it anymore."

I raised the tool in the air and it glinted in the light of the candle.

"This is for my family," I growled feeling a rage that didn't belong to me rise within my body.

I lowered the weapon down straight toward him however, someone took hold of my body stopping me from killing him. I let out a growl, turning my gaze toward who it was finding Levi standing there with a light frown upon his face.

"Just what the fuck do you think you're doing girl?"

I stared at the man for a moment before looking back at Sannes.

"Justice," I said simply.

"Oh really…?" Levi said, his grip tightening upon my arms, "Since when were you judge, jury and executioner girl?"

He ripped the weapon from my hands.

"It seems you've already gotten what you need from him," he said, "Killing the man is crossing the line."

"And torturing him isn't?"

Levi's eyes narrowed at me but before he could speak, Hange and Moblit entered inside the room as well.

"There you are," she said, "I thought it would have taken longer to find her…I guess she just wanted to chat up with old Sannes here."

Levi glanced at her, and then glanced back at me.

"Just take her and get out of here," he said, pocketing the weapon, "I'll take Sannes to his cell."

He let go of my hand and walked toward the MP soldier. I can feel myself tensing lightly at the sight but I simply turned away facing Hange and Moblit. Hange had a frown upon her face as she was looking at me but I didn't say anything walking past the two superior officers, heading toward the stairs.

"Say Sarah, do you have a minute to talk alone before we join the others?" Hange asked me.

I turned toward her, tilting my head lightly.

"Okay," I answered, "What is it that you wanted to ask me about?"

"There is a theory that I had in my mind," Hange spoke out as we both walked together, "Eren remembered a conversation that happened between Berthold and Ymir after you passed out when you were captured….and it made me wonder about something and since Eren has no memory of the event, I decided I need to ask you."

I stayed silent, waiting for her to ask.

" _How did you gain your power to transform into a Titan?"_

I blinked at her, surprised at the question.

"What?"

"It's a simple question," she said giving me a light smile, "You told Erwin that you'd work with us given your full trust after all."

I frowned lightly.

"It's not my happiest memory," I told her, "But here is what happened mostly…"

As I was talking, I noticed Hange's expression changing from curious to a grim determination, almost like the words that I was saying were confirming something within her mind. When I was done speaking, she raised a hand toward her forehead.

"I'd hate it when I was right," she said, "If what you said is true then…the reason they took Eren and Historia and with Historia being of royal blood…shit…they're really planning to have Eren eaten. The others need to know right now."

I nodded at her and followed the woman up the stairs back toward where the rest of the squad was.

* * *

"So they're planning to eat Eren?" Armin asked, horrified.

Everyone was shocked at what Hange had just revealed to them.

"Yeah," Hange said, "Eren remembered a conversation between Ymir and Berthold and given what Sarah had told me about how the power of the Titans is transferred, I think that's the most likely scenario we're dealing with here. Ymir used to be one of the mindless Titan wandering outside the Walls until she consumes someone from Berthold and Reiner's group. We've never seen a Titan turn back into a human by eating one before that said…people like Sarah and Eren are not exactly humans anymore and the rules are different for people that can transforms into Titan."

She glanced at me.

"Sarah told me that in order to become a Titan shifter, you'd have to consume someone who had the power of a Titan," she said.

"Wait…how?" Connie asked, "A person cannot eat another person…can it?"

I looked at him.

"You'd have to become a mindless Titan yourself to be able to do that," I answered, "It's probably how Ymir was able to transform back into a human. She ate one of Berthold and Reiner's comrade who had the power of a Titan when she was mindless…"

I sighed.

"Before I had the power," I said, "My aunt Maria had it. She had planned it to past it to my mother but with her dying in Shingashina five years ago, she decided to pass it down to me. She made me into a mindless Titan and I… _ate her."_

A dead silence settled within the room as everyone was staring at me in shock and horror.

"Holy shit," Sasha whispered.

"But…that can't be right," Armin said, "If what you're saying is true, could the government have a way of transforming people into mindless Titans?"

"Taking both Eren and Historia means that they have a plan in mind," Hange said, "Given Lord Reiss is the true King of the Walls, he must have wanted to have this power under his control. Eren's ability to control the Titans with his scream is something that Reiner was definitely after given his reaction back when the Scouts were trying to get away form him some days ago. If they had the ability to transform anyone into a Titan…then they already have a candidate in mind to take Eren's place and the power that is within him."

"Then we head to Lord Reiss's estate," Levi spoke as he closed the door behind him, "If it's as dangerous as you think it's going to get, the sooner we have him back the better it would be. I want you all to prepare to head out immediately."

"Sir," we all saluted.

* * *

The sun was high in the sky the following day Captain Levi took us close to Stohess so that we could resupplies. Given that the MPs had a kill order out for me, I didn't get to go inside the city to get supplies from city, instead stayed behind with Sasha, Connie and the Captain himself as the rest of the team headed into the city. Things were changing fast these days and with what we've learned from Sannes about the King and the Reiss family.

Thanks to the investigation that the Commander had done on the Reiss family a few days prior, we knew where the place was and getting there was just as a chore. However, thinking about Sannes caused my hand to tighten upon the plate I was holding in my hand. I had wanted to kill that man, something that had shocked me more than I expected. I was never a violent person by heart, however, I had seriously wanted to stab him to death where he had seated completely broken and beaten.

That rage that had grown within me as I stared at his broken form, after everything that he had admitted the Royal Family had done to erase my family from within the Walls.

"What's the matter Sarah? You're not hungry?"

I glanced at the girl beside me. Sasha had a worried look upon her face when she glanced toward me and I shook my head.

"Sorry, I'm just not feeling all that hungry," I answered her, "I'm going to go and get some water from the stream."

I stood up from where I was seating placing the plate down.

"And don't eat from my plate Sasha," I told her, giving the girl a glare.

"I won't, I won't," the girl said raising both of her hands in surrenders.

I let out a small smile before turning away from her and picked up an empty pouch. I walked through the trees for a few minutes by myself making my way toward the river that we found when we first arrived here. Taking a knee in front of the water, I stared down at my reflection that was barely visible within the water. What Sannes had told me the previous night was still turning within my mind about what had happened to my family and why they were killed.

 _Flashback_

" _That family was believed to have been ripped from our walls," Sannes continued, "cleansed our world of that cursed bloodline…and yet, you stand here in front of me. You Ashlers should have been ripped from this world root and stems."_

" _What does that mean cursed blood?" I yelled at him, taking hold of his collar, "What did the Reiss family has to fear from them?"_

" _You would have thrown our Walls into a civil war have your kind allowed to remain," Sannes answered, "do you know how hard it is to live in such a cramped place and have peace reigns for a hundred years? However, your kind wanted war and ignited it. You wanted chaos and destruction of the peace built by our King…and have the blood of the people color the streets."_

 _Sannes lone eyes became a glare._

" _You believed that they were innocent?" he asked, "That they were a simple family that we killed just for the hell of it. Anyone who threatened the peace written by the First King's will have to disappear and even if that came from the King's inner circle. They all have to die so that peace can stand. If one had remained than the threat wasn't over…"_

 _End of flashback_

Maria and my mother came to mind. The two of them never talked much about their side of the family given the few years that they were with her. Was this the reason why? Because of the cursed blood that was running in their veins…in my veins.

 _Why did Maria never said anything?_ I thought, thinking back to the woman, _I lived with her for over two years and there was nothing more. She never said anything. Why did she keep it a secret from me…why did she…?_

"Your jar is overflowing,"

Captain Levi was standing there with both of his arms crossed over his chest as he stood there in his cloak. I glanced at him surprised at his appearance before looking down at the container that was in my hand. He was right about it overflowing as there was no longer any water entering inside. I pulled it out of the river and placed it beside me.

"Do you need me for something sir?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

Levi approached toward me.

"I need to know if you can focus on the task at hand," he said.

I stilled in my work.

"Whatever you learn from Sannes was harsh to hear," he continued, "And it's probably only going to get worse from here on end…however, we can't be distracted from the goal of rescuing Eren and Historia."

"I'm not distracted," I answered.

"Is that so?" Levi said, "If I was an MP, a single shot to the back of your head would have done you in."

"I can regenerate," I told him.

"Have you ever regrown a brain before Reyne?" he asked.

I instantly pulled myself up on my feet, turning my gaze toward him. I can feel the same anger from before rising within me as I glared at the small man in front of me.

"I'm not distracted," I growled.

Levi didn't even look phased at all.

"You tried to kill a man in cold blood yesterday night," he said, "When I gave the order to kill, it was only so that you and your team could survive the encounter with Kenny's squad. I didn't give that order so that you can kill indiscriminately. Having a liability on my team isn't going to help on our current mission, after all, from your information, Eren is on his way to get eaten and transfer his power away."

Captain Levi seems to frown.

"What is it that you want me to say?" I asked him.

"What I want to know Reyne is a guarantee from you," Levi spoke, his tone cold, "I understand that whatever you learned from Sannes shook you, but I need you focused. You said that you won't hesitate when the time come to protect your comrades, what I want is to know if I can count on you when it comes."

I tightened my hands into fists as the anger drained away.

"I…I'm just trying to understand why they've never told me anything sir," I spoke, "My mother, Maria…they could have said something but, they never did. I…I'm just wondering if would it have been as painful to learn it from them…than from that man."

"Could be that they didn't even know about Ashler themselves," Levi said, "Dragging up whatifs isn't going to help you advance forward. All you can do now is continue on and carry that weight on your shoulders. From what I can see, there is a possibility they simply left it up to you to decide."

I stared at the Captain for a moment before looking away again.

"I…of course sir."

The man nodded.

"Let's head back to camp," he said, "Armin and the others would be back anytime now."

He turned away from me and walking back toward the camp with both of his hands in his pocket. I stared at his turned back for a moment longer, and somehow, a memory from the past came to mind…

 _Flashback_

 _Our bloodline is something that the Royal Government had wanted to destroy completely. I know I am asking you for a lot of things…unlike me who is at the end of my rope you can fight back. You can harness this power and make it your own…you can fight for the freedom Markus died for._

End of flashback.

"Captain,"

Levi turned to look at me. I stared back at him, feeling that same resolve I had when I was younger coursing through me.

"You can count on me sir," I spoke out, "I will carry out what I promised to do."

Levi seems to think for a moment before nodding and walking off. I picked up the jug that was beside me on the ground and followed after him.

* * *

 **A decision made...**

 **Next Time:** Olive Branch

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	42. Olive Branch

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Chapter Cover:** The Scouts group in a forest together with their weapons at the ready.

Chapter Forty-Two

Olive Branch

The others returned some time after that, all of them dressed in their traveling cloaks. Mikasa removed her hood as she approached toward us placing the sack, she was carrying on the ground while Armin made for Levi.

"Captain, the MPs were handing out these flyers," he said.

The man took hold of it and started reading what was written upon it.

"They also said they'll be hunting us through the mountain tonight," Armin continued, "They've also posting guards on all the vital roads so no one can get through them without a pass."

"Sarah," Mikasa spoke out handing out a flyer toward me, "I think you'll be interested in what it had to say."

I gave her a curious look before taking the paper that was in her hand. I glanced down at it, reading what was written down upon it and a feel my eyes widen at the words that were there. I couldn't actually believe it at all as a portrait of Captain Levi and myself were dominating the front page of the flyer.

"They're pinning the deaths of the MPs from the other day on me," I said shocked, before I started reading what was written, " ' _Sarah Gray is armed and extremely dangerous. From the brutal killings of the MPs who tried to apprehend her in Trost District, this girl must be captured at all cost. If you catch sight of these criminals, contact the nearest authorities without raising the alarm…'."_

I let out a sigh.

"They're making it seems like you killed them to evade capture," Mikasa told me.

"And there is no mention of the three Scouts member that were butchered by the First Interior squad," I said scoffing, "How typical…I'm guessing that the people are just swallowing it up."

Mikasa nodded.

"It would seem so from the conversations I've heard," she said softly.

"Making the Scouts look like we're are in the wrong," I said, "Well this situation seems to be getting worse and worse."

Levi let out a small hum at that.

"So…Captain, what do we do?" Armin asked.

Mikasa glanced toward them.

"We go after Eren," she said like it was the most obvious thing.

"Relax," he said, "They're taking him by carriage. It will take him at least a full day before he reaches Reiss's estate, and we need every second we can get to come up with a plan."

From where she sat Sasha instantly glanced toward the forest.

"Captain, I'm hearing footsteps," she said.

We all froze glancing at the direction the girl was looking at. Connie was cupping his ears to hear better and the entire camp became deadly silent as we listened the nature around us. Given that they were no people other than us, it didn't take long for the sound of footsteps to reach us. I feel my hand go immediately for my blades, narrowing my gaze.

"Sounds like they're approaching," Sasha said, "Forty meters away I think."

 _Still too close for comfort._

"What do we do?" I asked Levi.

"Take your perch," Levi said, "Same plan as we done with Dimo…however, we're going to need something to draw their attention. Quickly…there is river nearby, we'll lead them there."

Everyone moved as one as we took our position around the area of the river. Levi and Mikasa were already up in the air as we took cover and I hid somewhere with Sasha as the footsteps grew closer and closer toward where we were…

"…the ones that turned Stohess into a battleground," a female voice spoke out, "How many dead bodies do you think we'd carried?"

I frowned. Stohess was part of the Interior and it seems that whoever was speaking was part of the MPs that were stationed there and it seems that they were also present during the battle between Eren and Annie that happened in that District.

" _Annie's being missing since then,"_ the girl continued causing me to blink in surprise, "They still haven't taken her stuff out of my room….it's annoying."

 _So she knew Annie,_ I thought.

"In doing so the Scouts also discovered a Titan in hiding and took it prisoner," a male answered, "I highly doubted the Military Police could have done that. How is disbanding the Scouts is what's best for Humanity…?

The sound of splashing came from the river, meaning that was the signal to get ready. I placed my hand upon my handle waiting for Captain Levi and Mikasa to make their move. The sound also alerted the two MPs who instantly raised their gun toward the front of them and made their way toward where it was and it was then I noticed them. A boy with a bowl cut and a girl with curly brown hair as they had their gun trained toward Armin.

"Don't move," he said, "Turn around slowly."

Armin raised his hand in the air and stood up turning to face the two MPs.

"Don't said a word," the boy continued, "Now listen closely…"

Levi and Mikasa jumped down from above and landed right behind the two their blades at their throat, instantly immobilizing them.

"Don't make a sound," Levi said, "Now hand over your guns to the one in front of you."

Armin took the guns.

"Don't said a word right," he said with a light smirk.

The rest of us moved forward as both Mikasa and Armin were quick to take their equipment. Sasha and Connie were on guard duty so that they could wait to see if they were more MPs incoming in that direction. I approached toward were Captain Levi was seating observing the others working.

"Is this plan really the best we have?" I asked him.

"I won't deny it's risky," the man told me, "But…if we want to learn information quickly about Eren's whereabouts. It's the way to go, you won't go anywhere Reyne, your face is too easily recognizable…the Interior Squad would probably be aware of who you are right now thanks to that mess in Trost two days ago."

"I know sir," I answered glancing at the two MPs.

 _He is right thought,_ I thought to myself, _I'm too easily recognizable along with Levi with our faces all over the paper recently. But infiltrating the MPs…there are so many things that can go wrong with that plan…and given the Scouts track record…._

I noticed the girl MP looking at me as a flash of recognition appeared upon her features. She probably recognized my face from the paper for this morning. I simply let out a small sigh as Jean walked toward us.

"Captain," he said handing over the soldier's booklet.

The man took hold of it and stood up from his position.

"Well then, the two of you are from the Stohess District MPs," Levi spoke out, "Private Marlo Freudenberg…same assignment, Private Hitch Dreiss. We will need to dispose of you."

I glanced at the man's callous tone and from how the two MPs froze up, they had a pretty good idea as to what that means.

"B…Because of what you did," Hitch spoke out, "Stohess was a graveyard…over a hundred people were killed."

Levi only blinked letting out a small confused sound. I stared at Hitch's features which were twisted in anger.

"You bastards," she continued, "I bet you're all thinking that you're some heroes of Justice but you're not. You've drop dozens of families straight into hell with that mission of yours."

"Yeah, we did." Levi answered simply.

That seems to make Hitch angrier given his lack of reaction. Then her gaze fell upon me.

"You…You're the one that slaughtered the MPs that had gone after you aren't you?" she snarled.

I blinked at the suddenness of her anger that was directed at me. I tilted my head to the side.

"I did," I said simply, "But I guess that you haven't heard of the three Scouts that were killed by the Interior MPs when they attacked us in the middle of the day did you?"

A shocked look appeared upon both of their faces at my revelation.

"Of course, they've conveniently left that part out of the equation," I spoke out shaking my head.

Hitch seems to look away for a moment.

"But…you're part of the Southern training regiment right?" she said, "You all trained with Annie Leonheart didn't you? Weren't you a friend of hers…no, she wouldn't have friends. She's way too gloomy and unapproachable for that. She was just scared of people like scared little kid…now I'll never get the chance to ever learn anything about her."

I thought back to Annie. She really was like that in the few times I have interacted with the blonde girl. She was always by herself, and now that I know the truth about her it makes me wonder if she isolated herself because she knew what they did or what they are. I also remember the Female Titan I fought against in the Forest of Giant trees…

 _Despite everything…she had chosen her side…_

"She is officially listed as missing…you know why. It's because one of your Titans turned her into an unrecognizable stain on the ground."

" _You couldn't be more wrong,"_ I spoke out looking at her.

Hitch glare turned vicious.

"She is right," Levi said, "One of the Titans we captured was Annie Leonheart herself."

It was like all of the anger within Hitch disappeared with that revelation.

"Damn it all," the man continued, "It makes me sick. Nobody knows a thing about this world…not us, nor anyone else, except the bastards at the center of it all."

I lowered my gaze toward the ground lightly.

 _The truth…_

"Hey Captain Levi," Marlo yelled out, "Let me join your cause. I believe that the Military Police are in the wrong here. If there is anyway that I can fight this world's injustice…then that's what I want to do."

"Easy…calm down," Levi said.

"I swear I won't let you down sir," Marlo swore.

"I have no way of knowing that you'd have enough resolve to make an enemy of the state," the man spoke out, "Take them deeper into the wood and tied them up Sasha."

"Yes sir," Sasha yelled.

I glanced at the duo for a moment, thinking before glancing toward Levi where Jean seems to be talking about something with the man. The two talked and then Jean headed down toward us.

"I'll take care of it," he said, "Sasha, you can go and join the rest."

I stayed standing there as Jean got the two upon their feet.

"You sure you don't need any backup Jean?" I asked him.

The young man gives me a light smile.

"I'll be fine," he answered, "I won't be long. You can go and join the others."

I gave him a long stare for a long moment. I wonder why he wanted to be the one to do this but given the determinate look upon his features, the young man wasn't going to back down from this. I simply gave him a light nod.

"Don't linger too long," I told him, "The MPs might notice these two missing."

With that I moved off, following after the group as Jean lead Hitch and Marlo away from where we are. I sincerely hope that he knew what he was doing that horsehead. It didn't take me long to catch up to the rest of the group as Sasha who was bringing up the rear turned toward me.

"Jean left with the prisoners?" she asked.

I nodded.

"He said he had it under control," I answered her, "I hope he knows what he is doing thought."

"Do you want to go back and get him?" Sasha asked.

I shrugged.

"He said he could handle it…," I told her, "I just hope that he isn't going to do anything stupid. It's not like we have a whole lot of options now given that the entire government want us captured and me dead."

Sasha seems saddened by that.

"We'll figured it out," she told me.

I give her a light smile.

"Yeah, I hope."

We reached the rest of the guys seeing Armin getting dressed in one of the MPs uniforms.

"It's a lot smaller than I thought," he said, "This must be that girl's one."

"Since Sarah and I are too recognizable," Levi said, "The two of you will have to infiltrate the MPs. We'll wait for Jean to return and then I can explain the plan fully."

We nodded at him and waited for the young man to come back and when he came back however, he had both Marlo and Hitch with him as well. We all stared at him.

"Jean, you might want to explain yourself?" Captain Levi asked.

"They want to help," he said.

Levi glanced at Marlo.

"Is that so?" he said simply, "You're willing to go against the government and the king to help some fugitives from the law?"

Marlo stayed silent for a moment but then he spoke out.

"The Scouts are the ones that managed to do the real work," he said, "Whenever I was with the Military Police, all they have done is seat on their asses letting us rookies do the legwork. For them to be disbanding the Scouts when you're the ones fighting for humanity's future. It's just wrong to not do anything to help out."

Levi stayed silent for a long moment thinking. I glanced back toward both Hitch and Marlo and I noticed the look Hitch send my way. When our eyes met, she simply turned away from me looking down toward the ground.

"Well it seems that the plan to infiltrate the MPs isn't needed," he said, "If you're here then you'll be the one to give us information that we need. We're on a time crunch here so tell us everything you know about the check points, and the stations that the MPs have set up."

Marlo nodded.

"Yes sir."

Levi nodded.

"Dress yourself up," he said pointing toward the clothing.

The two MPs did as he asked and Marlo went to talk to him as the young man was explaining the situation to him. I however, made my way toward where Hitch was. Noticing me approaching, the girl stood back up upon her feet.

"Is it really truth?" she asked, "About Annie?"

I nodded.

"It is," I said, "She attacked the Scouts during the Expedition we had some days ago…killed a lot of us out there. It's thanks to Armin we've managed to identify her as well as the Colossal and Armored Titan identities."

The look on Hitch's face was enough to reveal to me just how shocked she really was.

"Then they are more people…that can do that?" she asked.

I pulled out a small knife and slashed myself across my palm.

"What are you….?" Hitch yelled out raising a hand but then she fell silent noticing the steam rising from my palm.

"That mess that started a few days ago about Titans being sighted within Wall Rose," I continued, "The work of another one of those people who have this power…we have started to uncover the truth about this world and the truth about the Walls…about the King, everything…however some people don't like that so they try to place blames upon us and hide the truth."

I looked at her.

"Tell me Hitch," I spoke out, "With all these secrets slowly coming out, which one would you side with? The one that is hiding it or the ones that are fighting so that freedom can be given to all that live inside the Walls."

Hitch's eyes were on the vanishing wound on my palm.

"Is that why…they want to kill you?" she asked, "Because you have this power?"

"Could be…however with Eren taken from us along with another of our own," I told her, "Fighting to bring them back…is what the Scout do best."

I feel her take hold of my hand and examining it. Despite having the trace of blood, the wound was completely gone. The look of amazement in her eyes was proof enough that she had her mind blown about everything going on.

"There isn't even a scar…," she whispered.

"Reyne, let's get move on," Levi called out drawing my attention, "We have a destination."

I removed my hands from Hitch's.

"C'mon let's go," I told her with a light smirk, "Honorable recruit."

"I'm not a recruit," Hitch retorted but she followed after me.

* * *

 **Help from an unlikely source...the Scouts move forward...**

 **Next Time:** Turning the tide.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	43. Turning the Tide

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah holding a rifle upon her shoulder as she looked back at the camera.

Chapter Forty-Three

Turning the Tide

We managed to avoid most of the check-points thanks to Marlo and Hitch's information. Without these two we might have had more difficulties navigating the surrounding of the MPs blockage but with our ODM gears and knowing their operations, avoiding them was easy. The sun was starting to get low as the day passed and it added a worry tone about the objective of the mission, we had in front of us.

Eren and Historia were in route toward Lord Reiss, the mastermind behind this entire mess we've found ourselves in at the moment. The Captain had said that it would take at least a day for Eren to go from Trost toward Lord Reiss and time was starting to run out slowly for us. However, we were no getting a lead straight toward one of the MPs camps that was in the area.

If we could get information from that camp about Eren's location then we will finally can go as to where he went and where to find them.

"Hitch," I spoke out drawing the curly haired girl's attention, "There is something I wanted to talk to you about anyway."

"Oh, and what's that?"

"You're friend with Annie right?"

The girl blinked at me for a moment.

"We shared the same room that's all," she answered, "The girl barely talked to anyone at all during her stay with us…always gone off by herself…you know there was one time she said that she had a date with a fifteen meter titan…I thought that it was a bad joke at the time."

"A date with a Titan?" I repeated.

Hitch nodded.

"Told me to cover for her," she said, "And since she was missing most of that day, I thought that she just had a boyfriend she wanted to go screw around with or something of the like so I thought nothing of it…even thought, given her personality I was curious who could date a gloomy girl like that."

 _Must have been when the Expedition happened,_ I thought, _That's how she was able to avoid suspicions among the MPs…thought, given the corruption that is being unveiled about them…I won't be surprised if something like that was common place._

"Why are you asking me?"

"Her stuff is still in your room right," I told her, "Maybe when things are taken care of, I can have a look around within it, see if she had any clues about anything."

Hitch blinked for a moment, looking away.

"She really was the enemy huh?" she said softly drawing my gaze toward her, "And here I was thinking that she was just afraid of people like a scared little kid…"

I thought about it for a few moments.

Annie and I didn't have much interaction with each other, other than the group training that we sometimes did with our ODM gear. She was always by herself back then, and even when we were training together, it always felt like she put a wall between us and her…

 _What were you thinking back then I wonder,_ I thought as the image of the blond girl with a hooked nose appeared within my mind, _If you Reiner and Berthold were part of the same team that means you worked together before to destroy Wall Maria…and you knew about the attack on Trost…but what else did you know about? Did you know the truth about the world? About what lies beyond these walls?_

 _Did you know the truth about the Ashler family? Berthold and Reiner seem to know…but that means you knew as well…._

"I guess we don't really know people as well as we thought we do," I answered.

Hitch seems to become somber.

"If the Scouts win this one," she asked, "What will happen to our government?"

I glanced at her.

"Think about it," she continued giving me a glance, "The people had peace over a hundred years thanks to the King and if the military suddenly overthrown him and all these lies and secrets brought to light…"

She had a point.

"I don't know yet," I answered her, "But from what I saw during my time in the Scouts is that Commander Erwin always had a plan in mind. That man is always thinking three and four steps ahead of everyone else. I'll leave that up to him."

Hitch gave me a scandalized look.

"Isn't that the same Commander that is in jail right now?" she asked.

I gave her a glance.

"I have faith in the Commander," I told her firmly, "He has never led us wrong before."

Hitch mouth worked in a fish like fashion for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

"I always thought that the Scouts have to mad to want to go and find Titans," she said, "Anyone really who want to go out there to fight these monsters are insane but now I know that you are insane."

I gave her a grin.

"But at least it'll be fun living as insane right?"

"Don't smile…you're freaking me out even more."

I chuckled shaking my head.

"Whatever you said, honorable recruit."

" _Stop calling me that."_

"Quiet back there," Levi suddenly called out drawing our gaze forward, "We're coming up toward the check-point."

Both Hitch and I turned toward the front finding that the trees we were walking in was starting to tin out in front of us. I held my rifle at the ready as we all walked together until we came to a stop in front of what seems to be a building with some MPs standing guard in front of them. I frowned lightly, looking around the area taking the few that were walking around and the group that was around some tents. We stayed there for a while observing them quietly in the shadows of the tree that were around us and I was taking some mental note of the number of guards there as well as the rotation which happened two times around us.

"As far as I know, this is the least guarded outpost in the region," Marlo told Levi.

"I can see why," I said, "They are so many openings in the rotation of the guard. The MPs really are something aren't they."

"You two get back to your squad before we arouse suspicions," Levi spoke addressing both Hitch and Marlo.

"Right," the duo said together before starting walking off.

A hand fell upon my shoulder drawing my attention. It was Hitch and she was looking down at me.

"See ya soon, crazy Scout," she said.

I smirked.

"Later, honorable recruit."

She actually had twitch of her lips before she walked off following after Marlo.

"Marlo, Hitch," Levi called out drawing their attention back toward him, "We could never had done this without you…so we're grateful."

The two seem surprised at the thanks but then they saluted us before walking off. I looked at their backs for a few moments before refocusing back toward the task at hand, cocking the gun that was in my hand.

"Alright now we're picking the fight," Captain Levi said, "Get the wagon…we're storming this place. No killing this time understood. We're going to wound them and take them down quickly."

"Right," everyone said giving him a nod.

A while later, we charged into the place with our guns at the ready. The MPs barely had time to react to our sudden attack at all. Mikasa and I moved as one as we jumped from the carriage taking down five guys before they even knew what had hit them.

Sasha's skills with her arrows shine as she was launching them dead on target taking down the few that were too far away from us. Captain Levi make true on his promise as being the best soldiers of the military taking down anyone else and with barely fifteen minutes passing, everyone was down for the count except for us.

"Let's move," I said, "Set up a perimeter for when the Captain return. We don't want to know if there is reinforcement coming."

The rest went to do what I ask without a word at all. I turned my gaze toward the place where the battle had taken place frowning at the MPs that were on the ground in front of us. I turned my attention away from them and walked off toward a direction with my gun in my hand. The sound of footsteps drew my gaze finding Captain Levi there but he was pulling man behind him, holding him by his clothing.

"Who's this?" I asked.

"Someone from the Interior squad, same as Sannes," he answered, "Where are the others?"

"I had them set up a perimeter," I answered him, "This little tussle of ours might had drawn attention."

Levi looked at me for a moment.

"Seems you have a brain inside that head of yours when you have a goal," he said, "Let's join up with the rest and there are some questions I'd like to ask this man."

I glanced at the man looking at the longish hair he had and the moustache that he has upon his face. There was no way of knowing exactly how much he knew but he was our best lead.

"Then we'll give him the same treatment as the others then," I said placing the rifle upon my shoulder as I followed after him.

* * *

Night fell some time ago as Levi launched a kick straight into the man's face causing him to spit blood upon the ground. I stood there looking down at him impassively, the rest of the group making a circle around us so that we could keep an eye out for anyone that is coming our way.

"Screw you," the man yelled.

"Where did they take Eren and Krista?" Levi asked, his voice cold and empty.

"You bastards," he growled glaring at us, "You think you're so brave. That post was manned by recruits who barely know how to wipe their own asses. No one is going to think your heroes for beating them down."

"Yeah," Levi said, his tone bordering on sarcasm, "The guilt is tearing me apart."

He shoved his boot right up the man's mouth pushing it in and I swore I saw some teeth fly out from the man's lips at the hit. Captain Levi must have broken some off at the attack.

"But what really gets at me is this mouth of yours," he said, "I would suggest you start talking while you're still able to use it…now, _where are Eren and Krista?"_

He pulled his foot out and the man let out a small coughing fit and he was missing some teeth from mouth as he wiped the dirt and mud from it.

"You can't win," he said, "All that's left for you now is to find some filthy corner to hide in, covered in mud and shit. If you don't turn yourselves in, then every last Scout will be given the noose starting with the guiltiest one of all, Erwin Smith."

I placed my hand upon my handle getting ready to stab him through however, Captain Levi moved first. He took hold of the man's body and slammed him upon the tree he was leaning on and twisted the arm behind him at the same time. The sound of the bones cracking was loud within the silence around as the MP suddenly yelled out in pain.

"That's right," Levi said, "That's what you get for not answering my question. Some Scouts lives are more valuable than others. Only those dumb enough to agreed to that join us."

He let the man go allowing him to fall at the foot of the tree in a heap as his legs were no longer strong enough to support him.

"I can have my friend have a go at you then," he said indicating me, "And she is really good with her swords…I wonder, how long you'll last under her care."

The man glanced at my direction and since my hand was upon the handle from my earlier move, I left it there, continuing to look at him with what I hoped was an empty face of feeling. Something must have given way for the man suddenly started to blab.

"I don't know anything," he said, tears falling from his eyes, "Nobody told me anything I swear. Kenny Ackerman doesn't like to make his business known."

"Ackerman?" Levi repeated, a trace of surprise in his voice.

I blinked at the name before suddenly glancing at Mikasa who also had similarly shocked look upon her own features. I'm guessing that was a revelation to her as well, given that someone from the same family as her own was our enemy.

"I know Kenny," Levi said, "Is that is last name?"

"It is," the man answered quickly.

"He never was much for one sharing information, not important stuff anyway," he said, "But I guess you have a rough idea and you best try to remember. _You still have plenty of bones left for me to break."_

"No…please stop," the man yelled, "Are you insane?"

"Maybe," was the stone-cold answer he received.

 _The Captain can be scary when he wants to be,_ I thought feeling a chill run through my back at the thought of it.

"Someone's coming toward us," Sasha suddenly announced.

Everyone moved as one as some went to hide behind a tree, while Connie, Levi who pulled the man down with him along with me were on the ground staring out toward the distance. In the moonlight, I can see figure moving in the tall grass around us.

"And there is more than one," she said.

"I see movement in the tall grass," I said aiming my gun at the direction of the approaching people.

 _Are they reinforcement for the MPs…are they the Interior squad? Shit…_

The MP, however, seems to gain confidence at that.

"Told you," he spoke out, "You're beaten… struggle all you want, one way or another, the Survey Corps will be destroyed."

I pulled out a blade and aimed it straight at his neck.

"Either shut up or I'll cut off your balls and feed them to you," I growled.

The man let out an eep sound as we all focused upon the approaching figures in front of us. I raised my rifle, finger on the trigger ready to shoot on Levi's order. Then a light rose from the hand of one of the approaching people, revealing themselves to be Hange as she removed the hood.

"Captain Hange?" I said shocked.

The rest of us relaxed as the Scout leader approached forward with Moblit who removed the hood he was wearing upon his head. The woman smiled at us as she revealed a scroll she was holding in her hand.

"I have some good news for you all," he said, "The coup that Commander Erwin had been planning was a success."

I blinked at the woman as the newspaper she had come with was unfolded in front of us. It showed the drawing of a man in robes as well as some things about the Scout.

"And there you have it," She said, with a light smile, "The coup was successful. Premiere Zackary now has full control of the capital and the government. For the time being at least, the nobles seem to be staying in line."

"Okay," Armin said, "But what about the stuff with the Reeve Boss?"

"We've got a public confession out one of the Interior Police," she said, "Reeve's son, Flegel, really pull through for us. He managed to convince the editors convincing them to print the truth that you're reading right now. The abuse of power, the bogus charges against the Scouts and that King Fritz was both a puppet and a fraud. It was clear that we only acted in self defense so in short…the Scouts are no longer criminals to be hunted down."

Everyone looked at each other before letting out a large whoo, cheering around us. I approached Captain Hange.

"What…about the charges against me?" I asked her.

She glanced down at me a slight smile upon her lips.

"All cleared," she said, "Given that they issued the order without you actually doing anything. Your actions were seeing as self defense as well Sarah. You're free."

I let out a small smile before letting out a soft laugh, landing on the ground upon my ass at the sudden relief that had grown upon my body. Someone suddenly tackled me from behind causing me to look behind me finding Sasha upon my shoulder with a wide grin upon her face.

"We won Sarah," she yelled, "We won."

"Don't attack me like that," I told the girl thought that didn't stop the grin growing upon my lips at her.

"But you weren't jumping around with us," she said a pouted look upon her face.

"Well, I'm not like you and Connie Sasha," I told her, "I just…it feels nice and all but jumping around isn't what I think I need to do right now. I just needed to seat down for a moment.

The girl nodded at me.

"Okay."

She went and join the others and I stayed down on the ground thinking to myself. We managed to put down the government that had hidden everything away from us. They were all down and that mean that they would be no one do stand in my way if I went to look for the Ashler's history and where they lived so far.

A hand appeared in front of me causing me to look up toward it.

A young woman was there looking down at me. She had long dark hair flowing behind her, pale skin and wide golden eyes. She was wearing a sort of robe upon her body as she was staring down at me and I stared back at her…shocked at her. There was a stab of familiarity with her but I knew I have never seen her before.

"Who…?" I said.

The woman opened her mouth to speak but then she was gone as if she was never there.

"Sarah?"

It was Mikasa who was in front of me, a confused look upon her face as she was the one extending her hand at me as I was just seating there staring at her, open mouthed. I took hold of her hand, allowing her to pull me up my feet. Mikasa, however still looked concerned.

"Sarah…are you okay?" she asked, a worried tone in her voice.

I raised a hand toward my face finding tear tracks falling from my face.

 _Tears…? Why am I…?_

"I…I'm fine," I told her, "I guess I was so relieved that I started to cry…"

Mikasa didn't seem convinced.

"Are you certain."

I smiled.

"Yeah, I am," I answered her, "What's going on?"

"Hange said she had an idea on where Eren might be," Mikasa told me, "We're heading there now."

I frowned.

"Right," I said, "Then let's go."

The girl pulled me forward and it was then I realized she never let go of my hand.

* * *

 **A mysterious vision...who was that strange girl?**

 **Next Time:** Secrets of the Reiss Family

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	44. Secrets of the Reiss Family

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far and thanks for the review.**

 **Now enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Historia seating side by side with Freida as they were both looking down in a book.

Forty-Four

Secrets of the Reiss Family

I was seating right beside Mikasa on the carriage across both Hange and Captain Levi. Armin was driving the carriage down the road as the lamp swayed to and fro from where it was beside the dark-haired girl. I looked up at the woman across us for a few moments, narrowing my eyes at the information that was about to be revealed.

"Hange," Mikasa asked, "You said you might know where they are."

The woman blinked in front of us.

"Oh right…I guess I should explain why," she said, "Erwin gave me this Scout report from an investigation on Lord Reiss's land. It detailed a certain incident that occurred five years ago on the Reiss's estate."

"Five years?" Armin said giving us a backward glance.

"That's right. It was the day Wall Maria was breached," she answered, confirming what was in our minds.

"I'll summarize the most important part from the beginning," she continued, "So as far as regional Lords went, Lord Reiss was fair and respected by the people. He had five children, the most well known of them was his eldest daughter Freida. She was a down to earth girl that even the peasants adored. However, five years ago on that night disaster struck. With the fall of Wall Maria having plunged the world into chaos, bandits raided and set fire the only chapel around, unfortunately for them the entire Reiss family had gathered there to pray."

Hange looked at us, her expression grave.

"And so…the entire family was massacred by bandits that night," she said, "save for one. Only Lord Reiss managed to escape with his life. To top it all off, this incident took place just a few days before Historia's mother was killed by the Interior police. We know that in the immediate wake of losing his entire family, Rod Reiss sought out Historia…and some tells me that it wasn't out of a sudden paternal affection."

"Well, she is of royal blood," Levi said, "Or do you think that this bloodline has some other secrets."

 _Bloodline?_

Something about that struck me dumb were I sat as an familiar memory surged from within my mind.

 _Flashback_

" _But why are you telling me all of this?" I asked her._

 _Maria let out a small sigh._

" _I'm dying Sarah," she told me._

 _My eyes widened at her._

" _I'm losing color in my body and I can barely feel my toes anymore," she said, "Every time I transform, I become weaker. My body is dying. I was going to have your mother become the next Vessel, but Shingashina happened and she died saving you. You have the blood of our family in your veins Sarah, maybe you can carry it in my stead. I don't want our family's legacy…the centuries we have survived be for nothing."_

" _Carry…our family legacy?" I whispered shocked, "You want…to make me into a Titan? Into the same monsters that killed my mother…How can you ask me to do this? How can you think of asking me…"_

 _Maria placed both of her hands upon my shoulders._

" _I am asking you because we are tied by blood," she said, "There is no else I will trust more than family. Kyle wanted this power as well but it will kill him because he doesn't have our blood. Our bloodline is something that the people of Royal Government had wanted to destroy completely. I know I am asking you for a lot of things but…unlike me who is at the end of my rope, you can fight back. You can harness this power and make it your own…You can fight for the freedom Markus died for."_

 _End of Flashback_

I stiffened in my seat, shocked at the sudden discovery that had fallen within my mind…

 _No way…it can't be…_

"…what stood out to me was that the chapel was completely destroyed. The chapel was built from stone," Hange was saying, "It will take a lot of time for bandits to destroy it. If it was bandits, they would have taken what they could and make for a quick escape. Also, Lord Reiss was the only witness, there was no one else around to confirm his story. Then, Lord Reiss rebuilt the chapel out of his own fortune almost immediately…but why the rush?"

Hange looked at us.

" When you think about it, the story made sense only if a Titan attacked. I may be jumping to conclusion but it's suspicious enough to warrant an investigation…and it's the only lead we have," she said.

"You're not jumping to conclusion," I said.

Hange glanced at me.

"What's this?" she asked, "You have something to add Sarah. I'd love to have your opinion about this."

I looked up at her.

"It's the bloodline," I told her, "That's the reason he sought Historia out. It's like Captain Levi said, there is something special about that bloodline and it's not just because they're the royal family."

I tightened my hands together.

"It was something Maria told me once," I said, "When she first revealed to me about having the power of a Titan within her. She said that our family had carried that power for generations. Sannes told me that my mother's family, the Ashler, were wiped out to extinction because we have cursed blood…whatever that means. However, Maria herself told me she wanted to pass that power down to me because of our blood connection."

I looked at the woman across me.

"He had both Eren and Historia brought to him," I told her, "He is planning to make Historia like me. He is planning to give her the power that is inside Eren."

Everyone looked at me like I was crazy.

"What?" Mikasa said her voice shocked at what was being said, "But Historia would never…"

"Hold on a second," Hange said raising a hand, "We theorized that the government was after Eren's Titan and that he might ended up eaten but I never paused to think that Historia would be the one to eat him…Lord Reiss must have a way to make people into mindless Titan, like that injection Sarah spoke of and if that happens…"

"Then we won't have any time to waste now is it," Levi said glancing at her.

Hange stayed silent for a moment.

"No," she said, "Before the night is over, Reiss's lands will be crawling with our soldiers. Unfortunately, we can't expect him to wait that long. We have to get there as soon as possible before Eren ended either in Historia or Lord Reiss's stomach."

The carriage picked up speed as it continued down the road in front of us. I glanced at the girl beside me as she was completely shocked at what was happening. She looked as white as a ghost under the moonlight from where she sat about what she had learned from me and from the conversation going on around us.

I placed a hand upon her own causing her to look at me.

"Have faith Mikasa," I told her softly, "We'll get there in time. You always did…time and time again, he got captured and you've managed to save him. You won't fail this time."

Mikasa stared at me, her obsidian eyes looking into my own. I saw the light fear within them at the thought of losing the only remaining family she had left. There was so much emotions within those eyes, a storm as powerful as anything within her.

"Besides, Historia is one of us," I smiled at her, "I doubt she'll go along with her father so easily."

Mikasa looked surprised for a moment but then that determinate look was back upon her features.

"Right," she said.

I nodded at her…thought, a part of me was questioning on how much that was truth. Reiner was someone I thought I could always count on and he turned out to be the one who was our enemy. Annie, was never someone I interacted with a lot but I never hated her…and she turned out to be the Female Titan. Berthold was soft spoken and never said much but he was still a comrade however…he was the Colossal one.

 _And also…that memory Eren mentioned of seeing his father there and the syringe…could Grisha Yeager have been a Titan shifter? If he was then…where did he get his power from? Was born here like us…or did he came from the same place like Reiner and the rest?_

 _And was he the one…who give Eren his power, if so why?_

They're too many things that are still unknown right now and I hope we reach that chapel soon and maybe some of the answers we're seeking will be answered.

 _Hange mentioned that the only way the chapel could have been destroyed was because of a Titan attack…I don't want to jump to conclusion, but…given the facts that we have, could Grisha have sought out the royal family? If a Titan was involved, could he have killed them all…but why wasn't she supposed to be important somehow?_

I remember both Reiner and Ymir's conversation while we were in the trees back when they had captured us. They seemed to be pretty sure that Historia was important somehow and back then because of what I said…

 _Reiner seems to know about Historia's true worth back then…as well as Ymir,_ I thought, _It's how they were able to convince her to join their side back then…there is something more that we're not having right now…something that we're still missing. I have a feeling that thing we're missing is the reason why Reiner and Berthold were so focused on Eren…why they've tried so many times to kidnap him._

"You should understand," Levi spoke out drawing me from my thoughts, "It's Kenny the Reaper. If he is there, he would be our biggest obstacle. On his threat level, well, think that you're fighting against me….wait, with those weapons of his, he'll be even stronger."

"Then he's unbeatable," Sasha said, "At least for us rookies."

"M…Maybe we should wait," Connie suggested, "Meet up with the rest of the soldiers."

" _No way/chance in hell,"_ Mikasa and I said at the same time.

"Right…," Connie backtracked, "If we wait for reinforcement then Eren might be eaten."

"You know based on what the Captain told us," Armin said, "The odds won't be entirely Kenny's favor."

"You really think so?" Jean asked.

"Yeah," Armin said, "His squad is well trained sure, but we've had way more combat experience than them….and also, there is a weakness in the gear that we can exploit. It's why Sarah was able to defeat three of them by herself back in Trost."

I glanced at him, noticing the look Armin was giving me.

"If you think about it, you might realize it as well Sarah."

I thought about it for a few moments and then the realization settled in. Their gear was restrictive unlike our own who had our launch and handle separated theirs were in the same area…in their hands. Unlike us, the guns are the only weapons they can use.

"You're right," I said shocked, "I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"So have to ask," Hange said, "How is that you lived with Kenny the Reaper and know next to nothing about him. Don't you two ever talk?"

"Not much," Levi said, "I've only just learned the man's last name. It's Ackerman…a relative of yours?"

He threw that question at Mikasa who was beside me. the dark-haired girl glanced up at him surprised at the question before she got a thoughtful look on her face.

"I remember my parents saying…that my dad's side, the Ackerman were persecuted when they lived in the cities," Mikasa admitted, "My mom said her ancestors were eastern. Her appearance made it difficult for them to fit in. Both groups were pushed deep in the mountains near the edge of the walls. It's how my parents met. My dad never told me why the Ackerman were persecuted…he looked the same as all of you so he can't be of a different race."

Levi got a thoughtful look upon his face for a moment.

"Tell me this," he asked, "Have you ever felt a…power awakening inside of you?"

A surprised expression appeared upon Mikasa's features.

"I have," Mikasa answered, almost breathlessly like she was wondering how he knew about that.

Levi narrowed his gaze.

"This has happened for Kenny Ackerman as well," he said, "Suddenly out of nowhere, he felt an absurd amount of strength surging through him. In that moment, he knew exactly what he needs to do…and it's happened to me to. Makes me wonder…?"

He trailed off as if his attention was suddenly drawn toward the front of where we were heading at. I glanced at that direction as well. The moonlight had just stepped out from behind some clouds revealing what seems to be a modest chapel in the distance. I narrowed my attention at the direction of the chapel as it was coming closer.

"We're here," I said.

The carriage came to a stop in front of the building. It was completely darkened with no one around and the modest building made of stone was quite well made. I got off the carriage and unto the ground looking up toward the chapel. There was the strange feeling in my chest as I looked up at it…

Almost like I have been here before, but that was impossible since this is the first time seeing this place.

"Something the matter?" Levi asked.

"It's nothing…just a strange feeling," I told him.

Levi nodded and walked forward.

"I'd expected to see at least some guards around," Jean said, "But there is nothing."

"Probably would have drawn suspicions if there was a squad of soldiers wondering around an old chapel," Armin said, "However, we need to get everything ready."

I turned away from the strangely familiar chapel making my way back toward Armin as he was working on something with Connie and Sasha. They were numerous barrels all of them wrapped up with detonator and gunpower so that we could smoke out the enemy when we'll be fighting against them and with the amount of supplies we have here, we should be ready soon.

"The new ODM gears has a major weakness," Armin said, "Since they use gun, both the retractable hook and the firing mechanism are in the same location. The only way we could get them is from behind and from what Captain Levi said, they can only fire two shots each time and after that they'll need to reload. If we stay in the smoke cover, that should limit their vision and their reaction allowing us time to get in close and attack."

We all nodded at him and made our way inside the chapel and once again, I was hit with the sense of familiarity. I ignored it aiming straight for the direction where Hange and Levi were. Behind the altar, was a trapdoor of some kind there.

"I predicted whatever is bellow is pretty big," Hange said, "If a Titan can move around freely underneath it…"

 _Tall column made of the strange hardening materials…_

 _A ceremonial area where a single person was tied by chains on both their arms…_

 _I could feel apprehension within me and yet when I glanced at my friend, he had a convinced look upon his features as he held the serum in his hand._

" _Jura…,"_

"Sarah, you're with us?"

I startled finding Levi and Hange looking at me with apprehension upon their features.

"I know where Eren is," I told them.

"What…?" Levi started but Hange stopped him from saying anything.

Then the woman spoke.

"What did you remember?" she asked.

"Ever since we've reached the chapel, I've got this sense I've been here before," I answered her, "There is massive cave underneath us, probably formed by a Titan's hardening, I think. Tall column seemingly made out the same crystal that Annie surrounded herself in and they seem to be glowing as well…"

Hange made a soft hum.

"Sounds about right," she said, "And about Eren, you said you knew where he was."

I nodded.

"There is a part…deeper into the cave," I said, "It's where some sort of ritual is supposed to take place…I think. I don't know but I'm sure that's where he is."

Levi nodded.

"Alright then," he said, "Is everyone here ready? Because you're all about to dirty your hands."

The silence within the chapel was muted as everyone were stiff faced from where they stood and I only placed a hand upon my handle calming my breathing down. I was ready to fight against these enemy and these people that had taken Eren and Historia away from us.

The same people who had killed Nifa, and Keiji.

 _It was time to have some payback._

Noticing the silence that answered question, Captain Levi said.

"I guess that's a yes," he said.

* * *

 **The battle to retake Eren is about to begin...**

 **Next Time:** Under the Chapel

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	45. Under the Chapel

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this fic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, read on this new chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah's back as she stood in the underground cave with the others flying in the air above her

Forty-Five

Under the Chapel

Everyone was ready to fight and I took hold of the flare gun as I was getting ready to enter the battle. Captain Levi was in front of us as he was leading us straight toward the large door that lead straight down into the strange cave that was under the chapel. The man stayed silent for a few moments giving a shush expression with his hand signaling us to be quiet. Then he counted down for a few more moments. As he was lowering down to zero, I took a deep breath, calming myself down and when it reached zero the man launched a kick at the door throwing it open.

It was all light up from beyond there as a stair case could be seen leading down toward a level bellow and there was a quick glimpse of tall pillars made of a strange crystal substance. Then Armin, Jean and Connie all launched down the barrels that we've been preparing outside of the church a little while ago as they all went rolling down the stairs.

"Let's go," Levi said.

We all ran out together into the outside seeing that the enemy wasn't opening fire, probably surprised at the tactics we've played in front of us. I tightened my grip upon my flare gun as I got my first look inside the cavern. It was massive easily taller than any buildings that are in the cities meaning that we were pretty deep underground. It was a familiar feeling that was rushing from within me right now, the same feeling I felt when I first saw the church in front of me outside.

The same feeling, I felt when I saw that strange girl in front of me…

A sound of an explosion drew my gaze as I noticed Sasha having launched her flame arrows into one of the barrels bellow completely covering the area in smoke, to hide ourselves from the sight of the many enemies that were inside. Both Captain Levi and Mikasa shoot out from where they were beside me and into the smoke in front of us and deeper into the caves. I glanced up toward the crystal towers noticing movements from people in the air and I instantly recognized the same strange ODM gear that the people that attacked us in Trost were wearing.

I aimed my gun toward the air and opened fire, the trail of green smoke launching in the air passing near Mikasa's floating form. Prompted by my shot, the others opened fire as well as trail of green smoke launched themselves into the air, lowering their visibility even more.

They won't be able to shoot if they can't see their targets, and that plan was the best one that Armin have come up with so far. It even paired up with the insane plan he came up when we were trapped in Trost with the Titans in the supply room and how we managed to clear it.

"Once again," I smirked, "You've outdone yourself Armin. Your plans get crazier and crazier."

I fired even more shot of green smokes into the cavern in front of me and then Captain Levi's voice shouted from somewhere.

"Thirty five totals," he yelled, "In the upper part of the pillars. Continue the plan, we'll take them all out right here."

"Time to engage," I yelled, dropping my gun and pulling out my blades.

Then I jumped into the fray, launching my hooks forward and zooming up straight toward the pillars and moving through the smoke and I heard another explosion following behind me, meaning that Sasha had detonated another of the barrels. With my hair tied back, I had nothing to hide my vision from how I was going to slaughter these people right now.

Just like Captain Levi had announced, I took notice of wooden support on top of the pillars, meaning that's where most of the First Interior Squad was standing at. I spied one of them and then I aimed straight at the man who turned his head hearing me approach but with his hand engaged into the wall, he couldn't do a thing to stop me from plunging my sword into the back of his head.

He dropped like a stone in front of me and I continued to move forward, not even giving the fallen body a backward glance as I continued the way forward. Blood dripped from my pairing blade as well as I made my way straight forward, dodging crystals pillars that were in my way, feeling my skin resonating with them like something that was crawling under me skin.

"Got you,"

The sound of the voice drew my gaze and my fingers moved on automatic, instantly shifting the gears into a reverse movement and landing against a pillar for support hearing the shots ringing around me. The man had used both of his shots trying to get to me and a savage grin grew upon my lips knowing that he had a few seconds to reload…

 _You've just signed your death sentence,_ I thought.

Taking advantage of it, I instantly closed the distance between us, launching both of my feet into his neck as he was leaning against a column to reload his weapon. Armin was right saying that we had more combat experience than these people because you never stop moving when you're in combat. That's a way of making yourself be an easy target and easy target always die first.

The momentum I used to reach him quickly showed as I smashed against him, causing his head to crack against the pillar he was leaning against. I noticed his eyes gouging out at the hit, hearing him gasp in pain as he struggled to breath but that's all she wrote before he fell down from his post and into the ground and he wasn't moving again.

A concussion and possibly a broken neck….he definitely wasn't getting back up from that.

Suddenly a shout of green zoomed past me drawing my gaze but I instantly moved as well, hearing a shot smashing against the pillar I was just on. Like I was saying about easy targets…turn out the few seconds I paused had turned me into an easy target as well.

I turned my gaze at the direction the green smoke can from finding Armin looking at my direction.

" _Stay in the smoke Sarah,"_ he yelled out.

"Roger that," I yelled back lowering myself lightly as I was now flying through the dark smoke of a barrel that exploded earlier.

 _A sneak attack from behind is smart,_ I thought, _But with guns they don't need to get close to get a kill…however, they're not the only ones with trick in their hands._

I placed my blades in a reverse grip mode similar to how I've seen Captain Levi do it. The reverse grip technique is not something that is taught that much as all soldiers were trained to hold it similar one would hold a pistol or a gun. However, thanks to my many calculations and long training to master the ODM gear, I figured out a way to use the gear while holding it in reverse.

Thought…it was thanks to Narissa that I even managed to figure it out.

 _I had planned to use it against a Titan,_ I thought, _but these people will make good practice. My tanks are full and I'm ready to slaughter them all._

I increased the speed of the retraction and of the vertical movement of the ODM gear before launching myself out of the smoke aiming straight up, flying out of the smoke and straight toward an Interior squad member. The woman was flying through the air as she was aiming at someone else, leaving herself wide open for attack so I wasted no time, flashing in front of her with a spinning attack with my dual blades and quickly taking her down.

But I was already moving forward, my blades in the reserve grip as I launched forward once more moving in between the pillars all the while using a lot of gas to keep moving that quickly. I heard gunfires echoing around me as well as seeing Mikasa slaughtering some by herself as she flew through the air somewhere off to my left. I continued to move as well, avoiding the guns aimed at me and bringing the gap that was between me and my enemy much smaller than before and then I made my way straight through taking them down quickly.

"Sarah," Mikasa yelled.

I spun toward her and I seen the girl aiming straight at me.

"Give me a boost," she yelled.

I sheathe my blades raising both of my hand as I caught her arms and then with a burst of gas I launched upward and at the same time, sending her flying off. The girl moved so fast that she was blur of movement completely overwhelming the two MPs that were dead before they knew what it them.

It was then I heard Jean's scream.

"HANGE,"

I instantly turned my head, my eyes searching for Captain Hange…it didn't take me long to find her for she was lying face down at the base of one of the pillar with a blood trail leading toward her form. My eyes widened in shock at the sight of the woman on the ground.

 _Shit not again,_ I thought.

The MPs, however, didn't seem to be interested in her for they simply moved away, deeper into the cave that was in front of us. I glanced at their direction as Captain Levi shouted out an order.

"Moblit, Armin, take care of Hange," he yelled, "The rest of you, follow after me. we're going in after them."

Armin and Moblit did as he asked as they both aimed down toward Hange and I followed Levi as he led the rest of us deeper into the cave with our ODM gears. We reached a spot that didn't have as much pillars in front of us and landed down upon the ground staring in front of us where a blockade was seat up. Above us, I noticed a blocked trapdoor of some kind

"They've bared the way to the ritual location," I said looking at it.

"Eren must be beyond this gate," Levi said giving me a glance, "If only we had more gunpowder…"

"We don't need gunpowder," I said, "I'll use my Titan ability to smash right through it. I'll bet they've never expected something like that to happen when they challenged us."

Levi glanced at me.

"Do it," he said, "And try not to bring the whole place down on us…everyone get back, Sarah's going to transform."

However, before I could even do anything a sudden yellow light shone from somewhere deeper into the cave. A sudden blast of wind followed after it as well causing me to raise my hand in front of my face to shield my eyes from how bright the light was. It was a similar light from how anyone would transform into a Titan.

 _Are we too late?_ I thought.

"This light…," Levi said.

"Eren," Mikasa yelled out, desperation in her voice as her dark eyes were wide with fear and horror for her adoptive brother.

The entire cavern we were in was starting to shake horribly from the shockwave of the transformation that had happened. It couldn't have been Eren who transformed. His Titan was too small to cause such a destructive wave…I had fallen upon my knees staring at the distance in front of us, seeing the pillars cracking from beyond where we were and large chunk were starting to fall from everywhere around us.

"Captain…it broke through," Armin yelled pointing at the blocked passageway above us, indicating the way was free.

Looking at the ceiling, I could see cracks running across it and even the pillars have started to have massive fissures upon their forms.

"This place is about to collapse," Sasha yelled out.

"Moblit, Arlert you two take Hange and find a way out here," Levi ordered, shouting over the sound of the rumbling around us and the destruction that was happening, "We'll go after Eren ourselves. Sarah, you know where he is right? So lead us there."

"Just follow the light of the Titan's transformation," I answered him, "That's where we'll find Eren and possibly Historia along with Rod Reiss."

The blockade in front of us had collapsed and we used that moment to launch yourself forward, navigating through the destruction that was in front of us. I glanced around, searching for the MPs but they seems to have moved away and I noticed some of them which were crushed under the falling debris near the barricade. That must have been the reason why they've all moved from where they were. But I turned my attention forward once more, focusing on the mission at hand at finding Eren and Historia thought the first thing we did found was the massive Titan that was in front of us.

He was still in a half-transformed state, meaning his skeletons was still visible pushing against the ceiling above him as he seems to grow even larger and larger despite it's still kneeling position. It was already easily bigger than any Titan I have seen in the past before and I had only seen the head of the Colossal so I can't judge on both of their size yet however, I found both of our targets.

"That…that Titan is massive," Jean said looking at the Titan in front of us.

Eren was in a kneeling position upon an extended bridge of sort that was right in front of the kneeling Titan. He had both his arms chained to the walls beside him and his legs was also chained down in a kneeling position. He was shirtless as well with his face bloodied from a cut on his forehead. Historia was there as well, dressed in complete white clothing as she was working on unlocking him from his position.

"There they are," I yelled pointing down.

"Eren," Mikasa yelled launching herself down.

I followed after her as well with Levi, Sasha Connie and Jean. As we got closer, a sudden burst sends Historia flying away from the direction of where she was near Eren sending her straight toward the wall at the end headfirst but Mikasa was there, catching her before she could hit it. I landed down beside the duo looking at Historia searching for injuries but she seems to be fine.

"Give me the keys," Levi yelled urgently.

Historia did so and all the guys were now there, wanting to release him from where he was chained. My gaze however, was upon the massive Titan that was slowly growing even larger in front of us as his body started to form crack upon the ceiling above us.

"Hurry up guys," I yelled, "This place is about to collapse on our heads."

"Feet are loose," Connie yelled from where he was by Eren with the keys.

"Wow," Sasha said not keeping her horror from her tone, "It's gotta be bigger than the Colossal Titan."

"Hurry," Levi yelled.

The ceiling cracked some more as a hunk detached itself from above and started to come straight down toward where Eren was.

" _Above you_ ," Mikasa yelled.

They managed to free him just in time as Levi pulled them all back, leaving the spot Eren had been kneeling on to get smashed and completely destroying it. The heat of the Titan's body was blowing against all of us as we all had our backs against the wall staring at the massive monster across us.

"Shit, at this rate we'll be buried alive," Jean said.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," I said, gritting my teeth.

Eren who was nearest to where I was slumped against the wall drawing my gaze toward him. I stared at him noticing the tears falling down from his face.

"I'm sorry everyone," he cried, tears running down his cheeks, "But I can't…I've been doomed every steps of the way. This power should have never been given to me…I can't be humanity's hope, I'm just too weak."

He trailed off, his gaze drawn my something I couldn't see.

"Armor…?" he murmured.

"C'mon," Jean said, almost sounding annoyed despite the situation we were in, "Stop playing the tragic hero. Of course, you're too weak to do it yourself, no one expect you to."

"Yeah, calm it down," Connie added, "We've been through a whole lot worse than this."

"Not that I want to get used to it," Sasha quickly added.

"Still," Connie continued, "It's going to suck trying to fly through that mess."

"Yeah well," I said, still feeling the heat of the Titan's body as it continued to grow, "Trying not to get burned alive by the Titan's heat and not trying to get hit by falling debris…Shitty situation all around."

"I'll take Eren," Mikasa said.

"It's going to take everything we've got just to stay alive," Jean said, "Hold on tight, alright Historia."

The blonde nodded, a determinate look upon her features. It looked better on her than the empty gloomy expression she has when we stayed at the cabin before all this mess started.

"No…," Eren said, "There is no hope of escape…"

"So what?" Historia said looking down at him, "We should do nothing then? Want to seat there and hold hands until we're crushed. Until we've burned to death? You know dying here won't make anything better."

Eren looked down at the ground in front of himself.

I placed a hand upon his head drawing his gaze toward me.

"Isn't you the one who always said that we have to fight?" I asked him, "Back then, at our graduation you said that as long as one of us can fight, it isn't over right? Not to let all the death and the destruction be meaningless. Everyone said that fighting against the Titan was a lost cause but we never give up. If you give up now…then, all the people who died to get us this far…their deaths will be meaningless."

I frowned to myself.

"Stand up and fight Eren," I told him, "Because that's the only way we survive in this world."

Eren sniffed from where he was but I thought he wasn't going to move at all but then…I heard him.

"Sarah… _thank you_ ," he said.

I instantly stared down at him, feeling shocked at the words a light gasp escaping my lips. Then Eren surged forward, a scream escaping from his lips as he was running all awkwardly almost like he was drunk but to me, it wasn't Eren I was seeing in front of me running at the massive Titan.

It was Narissa.

In that moment, it was like I was back there in that field surrounded by Titans as I watched my one sister stand against two Titans to save my life. I instantly raised my hand forward.

"DON'T….," I yelled out.

The rest of the words died in my throat as the sudden glow of a Titan transformation took place right in front of us. Eren was gone and in front of us was the familiar form of Rogue with his longish hair and permanent grin as he landed down upon the ground in a crouch letting out a powerful yet familiar scream. I haven't heard that since Trost.

But it wasn't all that Rogue was doing. A white glow completely overcame the Titan's body as crystal like branches seems to grow all around him and rising toward the ceiling above. They looked like branches of trees and they were forming so quickly that in the time it took me to realize what I was staring at, the entire area Rogue was kneeling down around was filled with the strange crystallization.

"Woah…what the..?" Connie asked shocked.

"Get under Eren now," Levi yelled.

We all rushed forward using our gears to move faster, thought Jean was holding Historia in his arms as we all aimed straight at where Rogue was and taking shelter under his form. The rubbles continued to fall as the massive Titan was completely gone from where we were now and all I could see were rocks falling down toward us but none of them reached were we were for we were all protected by the Rogue Titan.

And then just like that, the rumbling stopped, and we were still alive.

But the area around us was filled with numerous pillars made out of the same crystal stuff as the floor and the surrounding cave was formed when we first arrived. I glanced around noticing that none of the debris managed to get through.

"No…Eren," Mikasa yelled.

I turned toward Rogue and my eyes widened lightly as it was completely crystallized in it's crouched position with all of the pillars originated from the ground around him and from his own body.

"It's completely crystallized," Levi said and not keeping the surprise from his voice.

Mikasa instantly launched her hook forward aiming toward the nape and I followed after her. We reached area where it was but it was completely crystallized as well. Mikasa placed a hand upon the area, her eyes wide as there was no sign of Eren visible underneath it.

"Eren…Eren," she yelled banging against it with her fist.

 _No…not him not now…_ I thought.

"Let's get him out," I said.

 _There is no way I am going to allow you to die like this Eren…not after saying these words to me._

* * *

 **Eren save the rest with a new move...**

 **Next Time:** Abnormal Titan

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	46. Abnormal Titan

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **But now, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Eren launching his fist forward as he had a scowl upon his features.

Chapter Forty-Six

Abnormal Titan

It was a long work as both Mikasa and I worked to get Eren out of his crystal prison. With our combined work, the crystal around the Titan's nape had started to crack away from it revealing the shirtless young man that was lying inside of it. As soon as she had seen him, Mikasa pulled at the young man but his body was still trapped by the crystallization that he had done.

"Eren," Mikasa yelled smashing at the crystal, "Can you hear me? Eren?"

With the handle of the ODM in my hand, I smashed at the pieces that were connected to his body, probably the flesh that were connected to him when he was inside the Titan's body. It had all completely become crystal breaking away from the young man's form. Both Mikasa and I worked our way pulling him out of it and he seems to be dazed as usual, reminding me on how he was the first time he had transformed back in Trost District…when we first discovered he could transform into a Titan.

"Eren, can you hear me?" Mikasa asked, "Eren, _wake up."_

A gasp escaped his lips as Eren's eyes suddenly focused as he was back to us. The young man's eyes turned toward Mikasa and then finding my own as the two of us were holding on upon his form.

"Mikasa, Sarah," he said.

I couldn't help the relief I've felt hearing him speak. I took him into a hug, feeling relief that he was still alive.

" _Don't you ever scare me like that again you hear me_ ," I told him tightening him into a hug.

The young man form was tense from the hug but I don't care. When I heard those words said to me, I had a fear that he was going to die just like Narissa did. I don't know why I've felt that…but with Narissa having died like that, I didn't want to lose another friend…not when they were trying to save our lives.

"I…I just wanted to help in a way," Eren said patting my back as he hugged me back.

I leaned my forehead upon his shoulder.

"Those words…were the last thing Narissa said to me before she died trying to save me," I told him, "She was like a sister to me…and I don't want those words to be the last thing you said to me either."

"I'm sorry," He said.

I let go of the hug looking at his face. The cut he had earlier had disappeared like it was never here in the first place. He looked a little worn out but at least he was still alive right in front of us. I gave him a light smile and then Mikasa was there helping him to his feet and I took his other side. The two of us helped him down with our ODM gears aiming back toward the group and landing down in front of the rest.

Captain Levi and Jean along with Historia were there looking up toward the crystallized Titan that was behind us almost like he was impressed thought it was hard to tell with how expressionless he was. As we approached, he turned his gaze toward our group with a light smirk.

"Not too shabby Eren," he said, "Even after they've got you out of the Titan, it's not disappearing. This could be a game changer."

Eren was looking at his Titan, his face still mystified about what he had done and I looked up toward the Titan as well. It was still strange to see a Titan like that. It was different than the Armored Titan whose skin was hardened like that however, it seems more like the Female Titan who could harden part of her body similar to how she done it when I was fighting against her in the Forest of Giant Trees.

"I…I almost forgot," he said, "that bottle. It's because I swallowed a bottle that had 'armor' written upon it…right before I transformed…"

"We've found Reiss's bag," Historia said holding the remains in her hands, "But whatever that was inside was completely smashed or destroyed."

Eren fell silent, looking distressed.

"But that…?"

"No there might be more to this," I said looking at Eren, "You swallowed the content of that bottle and somehow gained the power to harden your Titan to do this and you did it without even training for it, almost instinctively."

"Gotcha," Levi said glancing at me, "Given the failure of the previous experiments, maybe the contents in that bottle was all you needed to pull it off because you pulled it off easily. You saved all of our lives, built this entire thing around us in the blink of an eye."

He glanced around us taking in the structure that was built. It was like a hardened version of a spiderweb formed an orb around us preventing any debris from reaching the circle that was around the hardened Titan. It's still amazing that he was able to pull it off by just drinking from the bottle.

"Not exactly pretty but I can see it's potential," Levi continued, "I bet this is how the Walls were made as well…in other words, it's become possible to seal the hole within Wall Maria with this. We took a lot of detours, watched friends died…but as ugly as it been, look at the position we're in now."

I looked at the small man. He was right a lot of people had died for this to become a reality. A lot of Scouts have given their lives for humanity so that we can finally fight back and now that we have a chance to plug the hole in Wall Maria, we can finally take back the land that was lost to us five years ago.

 _We can finally head toward Shiganshina…_

"Captain, we've secured an exit," Sasha's voice called from above.

I glanced up finding the girl lowering herself down using her gear along with Connie.

"Hange's fine," Connie called out, "Armin and Moblit too."

"I'm glad to hear that," Levi answered.

"That's good to hear," I said with a light smile, "I was worried about Hange after what happened back there…"

"Eren," Sasha said looking at him with joy, "You're okay."

The girl ran toward us and fell down to her knees in front of him, bowing down.

"We're all fine thanks to you," she said, "But to be completely honest, when I saw you running off stumbling like a drunk and wailing like a baby. I thought we were screwed, you looked like an idiot, and my fate was in your hand it was awful…Quite your bawling, have some dignity…that's what I was thinking anyway."

"Relax," Connie told him looking at her with an exasperated expression upon his face.

Levi looked at her for a moment before looking at us.

"Let's go," he said, "We have a big ass Titan to catch."

The rest of us nodded at him and then made our way toward the route Sasha and Connie had come from. I followed after the later aiming straight toward the ceiling and through a narrow passageway straight toward Armin who was waiting for us. He extended a hand and helped me up through the opening and I was greeted by the cooling wind of the night air and I could also smell the fire as well and there was the sound of a rhythmic booming noise coming from somewhere in the distance.

It was still nighttime with the sky filled with clouds and a moon shining down from above us. In the distance I could see a massive burst of steam as well as the orange glow of fire dancing in the distance.

"What the hell?" I whispered shocked.

"Sarah, don't stand there gawking," Armin said, "Help out."

"Right, sorry."

I turned my attention toward the hole and extended a hand toward Historia now who was climbing with Sasha and the small blonde girl took my hand as well. I pulled her upward as the wind rustled in the clothing she was wearing. Historia glanced around herself her hair dancing in the wind.

"You're okay?" I asked her.

Historia glanced at me and she gave me a nod but didn't say anything else. Moblit helped Captain Levi up as well since he was the one who came up with her. The Captain attention was instantly drawn toward the direction of the flames were as he was observing the situation in front of him. I stayed kneeled down as the next people were Eren and Mikasa.

Armin got hold of Eren's hand helping him up and I extended my own toward Mikasa. She took hold of it and I pulled her up. She was heavier than I thought she would be, but given how freaking ripped that girl was, I wouldn't be surprised if it was her muscles that was that heavy.

"Thanks," she said.

"No problem," I answered her standing up fully.

Now that we were all out, all of us were standing in front of the collapsed part of the forest floor which revealed the crystal gave underneath us and then as well as the massive Titan that was in the distance in front of us.

"Is that…a Titan?" Eren asked, shocked.

"Much is strange about it," Armin told him, "It's twice bigger than the Colossal and it's extremely hot. All the trees in the vicinity of him burst into flames."

"There is no way we can get close to kill it, if that's the case," I said.

"More importantly," Armin continued giving us a glance, "It showed no interest to us nearby."

"An Abnormal," Jean added.

"If it's not under the control of a human mind, that's right," Armin said, giving us a confused glance, "Just what happened down there?"

"We'll have time to talk about it later," Levi said glancing at us, "We need to catch up to that Titan as soon as possible and find a way to deal with it. If Erwin is around here, we should meet up with him as well. Let's get to our horses and carriage and follow it."

We all made the move and soon enough we were all on horse thought I was in the carriage with Hange who was lying down on the floor, Eren and Historia across from where I was while everyone else was on horses save for Armin who was driving just as before.

"We've got some riders in front of us," Armin announced.

I glanced up finding some riders coming toward us, holding torches in their hands. When they got closer to us I recognized the emblem of the Scout Regiment upon the green cloak they were wearing and from how Levi reacted to the two men, he seems familiar with them.

It wasn't long before Commander Erwin himself was there, upon his own horse. The man rode toward us as we came to a stop beside him. The blond man glanced around at us taking us in for a few moments as he attention fell upon Hange who was on the floor of the wagon.

"Erwin," Levi greeted.

"Anyone hurt?" he asked.

"Yeah," Levi said, "Hange took a hit."

He glanced at Hange again, his eyes analyzing her for a few seconds.

"Doesn't look like anything too serious," he said, "You've done excellent work, all of you."

"I've got a slew of things to report," Levi said, "But…"

Erwin glanced at him.

"Anything on that Titan?"

Levi looked at him.

"It's Rod Reiss."

A surprised look appeared upon the Commander's features.

"Look forward to hearing your thoughts on this Commander," Levi continued.

Erwin stayed silent for a moment, seemingly thinking thought I did notice the quick glance he threw toward Historia's direction. Then, he turned his gaze back at the massive Titan that was in the distance.

"Time's short," he said, turning away and starting to trot his horse away, "We can't stay here and chat. Head back to the Wall."

"You're going to let that thing drag it's fat ass all the Way to Sina?" Levi asked.

Erwin stopped his horse giving him a backward glance.

"Not specifically," he said, "I'm letting it continue toward Orvud District…given it's speed, it should give us enough time to get there before him and come up with a plan on how to deal with it."

"Yes sir," Levi answered, "You heard the man, let's move out."

Armin nodded and started up again the horses again as our wagon was moving now with the escort of the Scouts around us. During that time however, Eren and Historia had started to fill us in on what had happened before we arrived there. On what Rod Reiss wanted from Eren. On the strange memory he saw when they touched him. How Rod Reiss wanted to make Historia eat him and about his father. Listening to him speak about how his father killed the Reiss family to steal the power of the Titans from them and giving it to him, checked off a theory I had in my head about his father.

 _So he did give him the power…just like I expected and the Founding Titan…_

"Alright let me think," Hange said, "First off Lord Reiss is after the Founding Titan's power and that power currently reside within Eren. Thing is, the Founding Titan can only be used to it's full potential by someone of royal blood…but then, when a royal does obtain the Founding Titan's power, they became ensnared by the First King's ideology which mean they'll refuse to do anything about the Titans…well this certainly is a conundrum."

A light frown appeared upon her face.

"So the first King thinks this is true peace huh…well, I'm going to have to disagree on that."

I glanced at the massive Titan in the distance.

 _The First King…did he really think that this was for peace? Keeping us under the foot of the Titans but what about where Reiner came from? Is that why they wanted the Founding Titan…so that they could be free of the Titans in the world? Are they fighting to survive as we are doing right now in a walled city somewhere beyond the Wall?_

"We still have the option of letting him eat me," Eren said, "If that happens the Founding Titan will be in the hands of someone from the royal family. He'll become human again and we'll have a true founding Titan not me…"

"You don't mean…," Mikasa said.

"It's possible," Levi added, "Once Reiss turns back into a human, we can hold him and try to undo the First King ideology…assuming it can be done…it may as well open a path to save humanity."

I stared at him.

"Can something like that even be done?" I asked, "We're talking about the guy who was behind everything since we were attacked in Trost some days ago. The same guy who sent the mass murderer Kenny the Reaper after us, turned the Scouts into criminals and was after me for some reason. If he used that scream ability like Eren did back then…he could wipe our memories and everything we've done so far would have been pointless."

"She is right," Historia spoke out from where she sat, "There is just too many unknowns in making my father take the Founding Titan. We might not be able to free him from the First King's will something that the Reiss family had never been able to do for decades. Even if you restrain, like Sarah said earlier, he could still wipe our memories. Considering how much that we still don't know about the Founding Titan. It isn't worth the risk."

"She has a point," Armin said, "it's not even guarantee that Reiss would turn back to human even if he ate Eren. That's just an hypothesis, no one had actually seen it happen before."

Historia nodded.

"Furthermore, we've been led down this path by destructives pacifists, and if they kept the Founding Titan's power that's how it would stay," she explained, "This is Humanity's first chance to escape from them."

She glanced at the boy beside her.

"Eren, your father wasn't evil," she told him, "He was trying to save humanity from the First King's will. He stole the Founding Titan's power from my sister and murdered my father's wife and children. He did it because he had no other choice."

Eren had a shocked look upon his features at that, taking a hand to his forehead.

"You mean…?"

"That's right," Armin added, "the Doctor Yeager we knew would never have done something like that."

"Agreed," Mikasa added, "He must have found another way. A way to save Humanity without Reiss's blood. It must have been why he left you the key to the cellar."

When Eren glanced at me, I gave him a light nod of confirmation that I agreed with Mikasa's reasoning. That cellar even thought we've heard about it so long ago, it's importance seems to grow stronger now than it has been back then.

 _We need to get to that cellar quickly and soon anyway,_ I thought, _however, we still need to deal with this Titan first._

"We finally have a way to plug Wall Maria," Jean said, "I think that makes our priority pretty clear."

"that's actually a convincing argument," Levi added.

"I agree," Hange spoke out, "I'd prefer we stick with Eren too…but are you sure about this Historia? That Titan is a major threat and it's not like we can just let it wander freely inside the Walls. Capturing isn't an option either, it's way too big…which mean… _we're going to have to kill your father."_

She pointed toward the massive Titan that was in the distance of where we were, the loud booming of it's crawling motion drawing our gaze toward it. I could see the head but there were no eyes at all visible since he was dragging his face upon the floor as well. I turned my gaze toward Historia and she looked saddened, almost how she was when she lived at the cabin with us…

"Eren…I should apologize," she said, "Under the Reiss chapel, I really considered turning into a Titan and eating you…and honestly, it wasn't to save humanity. I just wanted to believe my father was right…I wanted him to like me."

A strange image of my own father appeared within my mind…

The cold looks he always gave me and my mother…

I can feel my hands tightening into a fist upon my lap as I thought about him.

"But it's time for me and him to parts way now," Historia finished, her tone determinate.

I glanced up at the blonde girl noticing the expression she was wearing. Historia was much stronger than any of us could ever give her credit for and for her to make such an expression and be as firm as she could be despite all that happened…

I turned my gaze forward once more as we were approaching Orvud District. We were in the Northern part of the Walls so this was one of the safest District in the region along Wall Sina. We had left the massive Titan behind who was still slowly dragging it's body toward our general direction. Just like Commander Erwin had predicted. This battle would be decided at Orvud District, thought, what the Commander could be planning however was anyone guess.

 _However, knowing the Commander,_ I thought, _It's probably another give or take gamble he is going to make._

* * *

 **So ends this one.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Outside Orvud District

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	47. Outside the Walls of Orvud District

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **But now enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah's back as she stood on top of the Wall looking out toward the lands in the distance.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Outside the Walls of Orvud District

Like most cities upon the torn alongside Wall Sina, Orvud District looked very similar to how Trost looked which was no surprise since all of those cities were based upon the same designs much like how the cities of Wall Maria were made. Considering that it was the middle of the night, the streets were mostly deserted, safe for the occasional drunkard wandering around and it was fairly quiet, safe for the sound of hooves against the concrete floor and the sound of the wagon that Historia, Eren and I were sharing since they didn't have enough horses for all of us.

"Calm before the storm huh," I murmured softly to myself as we got closer to the Orvud District Military branch unit.

"You said something Sarah?" Historia asked glancing at me.

I smiled lightly at her but shook my head.

"No, I was just thinking out loud," I told her simply.

The blonde girl nodded as the wagon entered inside the courtyard of the building. The area was already well light up from the many torches that were set in places as soldiers were rushing about, all of them having the same white fear expression upon their faces. I stared at them for a few moments thinking back on how white faced I must have look during the invasion of Trost a month ago. I shook my head and stepped of the wagon and upon solid ground. The rest of the group was doing so as well as we were all getting ready for the upcoming battle that was in front of us and yet, all of us Scouts were calm compared to the Garrison Regiment soldiers I can see around us.

"Historia," Captain Levi called out to the blonde girl beside me drawing her gaze, "I've forgot to tell you. There is something we need you to do."

There was confusion upon her face at the words.

"What's that?" she asked.

Around us, the rest of the group took their places as they were also starting to listen in as well.

"This is an order from Erwin," Captain Levi continued, "Once we're finished up with this Titan, seeing as you're the true successor to the Throne, you'll become Queen."

I stilled at the news and I saw Historia's eyes widen lightly at the though and from the look on everyone's face, they were shocked as well.

"Woah, Queen Historia?" Sasha said shocked, "You're kidding right?"

"The coup d'état was a success," Levi continued looking at the blonde girl, "however, the people won't follow military rule forever. We need to give them a heartwarming story. One where the rightful heir reclaims her throne from the pretender."

Historia still looked shocked at the thought that she was about to become Queen, thought her expression changed again as she glanced down toward the ground almost like she was resigned at the role that was given to her.

"Oh…I see," she murmured softly to herself.

I glanced at her, feeling worry for the shorter girl beside me.

"Hey hum…," Connie said, "You heard what Historia was saying earlier right Captain? Cause…well…it's…maybe in siding against her father she finally broke off from that part of her life you know…it's just like…"

"Like what?" Captain Levi said bluntly, "You have something to say…say it."

"Oh…hum…well…," Connie started but seemingly couldn't find the words at all.

"What Connie is trying to say Captain," Jean spoke out drawing our gaze toward him, "is that Historia finally broke free from the Reiss family and decided she is more than just a bloodline…for us to force her into another role for that reason…I… _I just don't think it's fair."_

I glanced at him.

"You heard what the Captain said didn't you?" I spoke out drawing his gaze at me, "The people won't follow military rule. While I may not agree wholeheartedly about it…I can understand the nobles of Sina well enough…"

I was stopped by a hand upon my wrist drawing my gaze toward the girl beside me. Historia had an empty expression upon her features and I can feel her hand squeezing my wrist lightly almost like she was asking me to stop.

"I understand," she spoke softly, "If this is the next duty is to become a Queen…then that's what I shall do."

"Historia…," Armin said, worry in his tone.

The girl looked up at us, and then she smiled oddly reminiscent of the girl I knew back during the Cadet training.

"I appreciate your concerns," she said, "But whether or not this is forced upon me is for me to decide and I have decided."

Her blue eyes turned toward Levi, that determinate look appearing upon her face once more.

"Captain, before that, I have one condition for you," she said.

Levi narrowed his eyes lightly.

"Oh…and what's that?" he asked.

"While my fate is still my own," she said, "I want to put everything I have on the line…Allow me to take part in this operation as well."

Levi stayed silent for a moment.

"I won't object against it," he said, "Since you're not yet Queen however, I can't exactly stop you since you're still a soldier…anyway, let's head on to the meeting. We're short on time as it is."

Historia nodded at him and the Captain walked away with the group following after him. I stood there for a moment as Historia let go of my wrist. The girl turned her head toward me, those blue eyes meeting my own.

"Sarah, when all of this is over," she said, "Come find me. You and I have a lot of things to talk about."

I blinked in confusion.

"We do?" I asked surprised.

She nodded.

"We do. It concerns both of our families after all," the blonde girl told me, "But first I have to find some gear and appropriate clothing. Can't exactly be a soldier with what I am wearing."

She indicated the white robe she was still wearing and I nodded at her thought my mind is still reeling from what she had just revealed to me. I nodded at her crossing my arms.

"Well then," I said, "I'll see you in the meeting room soon enough."

The blonde give me a light smile before we went our separate ways. When I arrived in the room, the others were already there and it was not long after that Historia walked in dressed up like a soldier once more. The outfit suited her way more than a dress would as she had tied her hair back . she came to stand beside where I was and Mikasa who was in front of us turned her head toward us.

"When you're Queen," she said, "You can smack that little shorty right in the face in tell him 'I dare you to hit me back'."

"Mikasa," I said shocked, "That's uncalled for."

The girl let out a small smirk and even Historia seems to be surprised at her sudden joking mood. I shook my head turning my gaze toward Commander Erwin who was standing across the table from where we stood along with the Garrison soldiers that were stationed in Orvud District.

"Sirs," a Garrison soldier spoke out looking at a paper in his hand, "We've determined the Reiss-Titan location. It is southwest of here and it's moving fast toward the District. At this rate, it will reach the Walls before dawn."

"Right, Understood," the Garrison Captain spoke out before looking at Erwin, "Commander Erwin, I'm sure everyone here would like to hear your plan. How can we evacuate the people in such a short time?"

Erwin glanced at him, his expression blank.

"We don't."

The Garrison Captain blinked in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"The people of Orvud District need to stay exactly where they are." Erwin told him simply.

There was a murmur around the Garrison soldiers as they glanced at each other disbelief upon their faces and with how afraid they looked; I wouldn't be surprised if they all started to run out at this moment.

 _And let's not forget Commander Erwin's infamous gambles,_ I thought looking at the man.

"What the hell are you thinking Erwin?" The Garrison Captain asked, taking the man by the clothing, "If we don't get these people evacuated, they'll be casualties by the thousands. That Titan will be here before dawn."

"It's an Abnormal," Hange spoke out.

The man glanced at Hange, the fear and panic in his face visible for all to see.

"What the hell does that even mean?" he asked.

"It behaves strangely," Hange explained calmly as if she was giving a lecture in a classroom, "Unlike most Titans we've encountered, it's only attracted to a large group of people…hence the word Abnormal. Between the choice of a few groups around it to the large densely populated city, it would choose the city every time. If you were to start evacuating civilians toward the interior, the Titan would deviate in its current path, destroying the Wall and anything else in it's path."

Hange let out a small breath.

"Left unchecked, it would make for the greatest city with the density of populace, Mitras," she continued, "The ensuing rampage would deal a devastating blow to mankind. As we rode to Orvud, we had Eren Yeager attempted to use his newly discovered power to control Titans…Rod Reiss's Titan however, didn't react in any way."

I glanced at Eren noticing the frown upon his face. It was quite hilarious to see him punching midair as he yelled at the Titan to stop over and over again thought.

"If we are to stop this thing," Erwin spoke out, "It would have to be here outside of the Walls of Orvud District…however, for that to happen, we would require the citizen of Orvud District act as bait. However, it doesn't change the fact that our first and foremost objective is to protect the populace. In the case that we're not able to stop the Titan, we'll take measure of minimize the civilian losses. We'll announce a district wide evacuation drill tonight. The people would be gathered away from the outer Walls, but to escape if the battle is lost."

The Garrison soldier seems to deflate at the words from the Commander as he let go of his clothing. The man stared at him thought he was still white in the face; he was still a soldier.

"Seems that we have no other choice," he said.

"This Titan's body is the largest ever encountered…however it is also an easy target," Erwin added, "our Wall mounted cannons should prove to be highly effective…but if we can't bring it down with artillery, we'll deploy the Scouts regiment will throw everything we've had at it."

I noticed his gaze meeting my own when he said that last one. I didn't need to be a genius to know what he was asking of me. I simply give him a light nod of my head to show that I understand what he was asking me to do. I glanced toward Eren and the young man met my gaze as well.

 _If this go South, then Eren and I will have to transform and fight against that giant thing with all that we've got._

"I'll give the orders for the evacuation drill then," The Garrison captain said.

Erwin nodded and the man turned away walking out of the room with the soldiers following after him. The man then turned toward us.

"Now let's come up with the plan of attack then," he said, "From our observation of the Titan, using the conventional way is out of the question. His body is too hot…we'll be burned alive if we try it this way…however, I have been giving thought about using gunpower to get to the nape."

"And how are we going to do that?" Levi asked.

"There is a chance that the Titan is going to reach the Wall," Erwin spoke out looking at all of us, "At that moment, it could raise his head up similar to how the Colossal Titan did five years ago. That will be our window to get access to the nape through his throat…which Eren will throw in using his Titan form."

Levi narrowed his eyes.

"So you're saying, you want to shove gunpower down it's throat and hope that's enough to destroy the nape," the short man said.

"That's correct," Erwin said.

"With all the heat the bastard making," Levi said, "I'd expect the powder to ignite without a detonator…thought a lot of this is hanging on the Titan having his mouth open."

Erwin was drawing something upon a piece of paper in front of us.

"An explosion outside of the nape may not penetrate," he said, "the flesh inside its throat is softer…more vulnerable. But the target may protect that point since it's been dragging his face upon the ground…frankly, we don't even know if he had a mouth to open… _that's the gamble this time."_

Erwin looked at us.

"However, gigantic it may be," he said, "It's vital point is still one meter high, ten centimeter across unless we destroy that, it will regenerate and form another shield of heat…we cannot waste this chance at all."

I looked at the drawing.

 _That will also mean as soon as the explosion is made…we will have one minute before it fully regenerate…one minute is going to decide between victory and disaster…_

* * *

 **Top of the Wall**

The sun was starting to shine over the horizon as I sat on the edge looking down toward the city beneath me. From behind me I can hear the Garrison soldiers moving on about as they were still getting the cannons ready for the upcoming battle thought my attention was fixed upon the large crowd of people that were walking into the Walled District. People who had no idea of what was truly going on…

 _It's just like back then,_ I thought, _on a day like any other that disaster followed. Shingashina was supposed to be another boring day for me and my mother…and yet, destruction followed and so many people died…_

The ratio that I was supposed to be eating laid forgotten beside me as the package crackled lightly in the wind that was dancing through my clothing. My gear was still at my waist and I had refilled the tanks before we were all send up here to the top of the Wall to wait for the moment when we are about to engage.

A set of footsteps drew my attention and I looked up finding Connie standing there looking down toward the city as well.

"Man, waking up this early and being told that this is an evacuation drill," he said, "I won't be surprised if riots break out."

I let out a small snort.

"These people have no idea of what's heading their way," I said softly looking down at the civilians beneath us, "To them, today is just the start of another peaceful day in the northern District."

Connie scratched his cheeks.

"I doubt it's going to stay peaceful for long," he answered, "Huh, Sarah…you're not eating?"

I glanced at the ratio bar that was beside me.

"Not feeling really hungry at the moment," I told him.

Connie stayed silent for a moment.

"With everything that has been going on," he said, "I couldn't really eat either…to think all that shit we've been through and it's only been two freaking days since our battle in Trost."

I stood up from where I was seating, feeling the wind rustling through my hair, which danced behind me. I had it in a braid on my back thought there were some strings that were falling upon my cheeks. I turned my gaze toward the direction outside the Walls toward the tall tower of smoke that was slowly approaching in our direction.

"Sarah, Connie," Armin yelled drawing our attention, he was waving at us to come toward him.

"But the day is not over yet," I told him as I walked pass him, giving the boy a shoulder pat.

"No…," he said, "It's not over yet."

The two of us walked together joining the rest of the group.

"The Titan just came in range of the cannons," Armin told us, "They're going to start the operation. C'mon, the Commander is waiting for us."

We all made our way through the wall as the soldiers were loading the cannons and getting everything ready so the operation could begins. I'm actually impressed they managed to get the cannons ready this quickly thought but then again…this was a northern District and they don't see as much battle as Trost who was on the opposite side of this place.

Now standing on the edge of the wall looking out toward the massive Titan that was approaching us, I got a first full look at it. At night, I didn't really get a could look since it was covered in steam and with the fire burning near it I didn't really see it really well as most of it's body was covered in darkness. Now with the light of the sun, I had full look at the massive Titan.

And it looked gross as fuck.

Its body was completely not proportioned as it's arms were impossibly long, it's body abnormally large and I couldn't even see the face as it was dragging on the ground raising a lot of dust and the steam that was from it's body was thick even from this distance.

 _This was the most disgusting Titan I have ever seen in my life and the Titans have never been nice to look at in the first place. Terrifying for sure but never like this._

"FIRE," someone shouted.

The cannons all fired together the booms loud in the early morning air as the area was suddenly filled with the scent of gunpower as we all were staring out toward the Titan's who was completely covered in smoke and explosions some hits of the cannons hit the marks but not as many as I thought they would.

 _The cannons didn't do as much damage as I thought they would._

"So…what happened?" Erwin asked frowning lightly at the smoke in front of us as the Titan was completely covered in it.

Then the Titan's hand tore through the smoke smacking down on the ground and deterring some trees in the process as they went flying away from it. More fire came from the cannons that were placed on the ground but the Titan was still coming.

"Look like the field cannons are even less effective," Erwin said, sounding disappointed.

"Make sense," Levi said, "The Cannons on the Walls have a way better angle and they still couldn't hit the nape. What's the problem?"

"Unprepared soldiers," Erwin listed off, "this is a motely crew of scrambled soldiers and cannons. At this rate this is the most military might we might have at this point. This is a northern region in the inner walls. We can't expect the same level of marksmanship as soldiers in the South given how recent the Titans attack have been from there."

"That much is painfully clear," Levi said, "And your strategy to get us through this rely on one of your gambles…just like all of your plans before that."

I let out a sigh staring at the approaching Titan as Hange arrived with a whole lot of gunpower a net. In no time at all, I was working with Mikasa, Eren and Armin to form the large net that our entire plan was gambling upon and I worked well with my comrades, all the while the sound of the cannon fire echoed loudly in the background thought my attention was drawn when Eren suddenly started to punch himself in the face for no reason at all.

"Hey what are you doing?" I called out to him, "It's no time to make a wound yet and if you are, at least use a knife or something."

"Sorry," he said, "I just needed to push a crybaby for a few moments. I think this brat is gone for good now."

I stared at him for a moment.

"If you want to get punch in the face," I told him raising a fist, "I'd be happy to do it for you."

Mikasa actually let out a scoff at that drawing my eyes toward her. From the look she was giving me, she was probably remembering how I punched her in the face back during the Trost invasion.

"I'm not sure that'll help," she said, "You usually punch people in the face to get them out of their depression."

I shook my head thought that didn't stop the smile that was upon my lips. I didn't keep it long thought for there was a sudden wave of heat that overcame us causing me to glance toward the direction of the wall as more cannon fire echoed from the cannons.

"Times up," I said, "Let's get into position."

The others nodded at me as we all stood up until a sudden boom shook the Wall we were standing on. There was a wave of steam rising right on the other side of the Wall as we all stood there looking at it and then. The heat from the Titan's form was unbelievable as I looked at it feeling myself sweating just because I was standing there then, a massive hand shoot out from the steam grabbing the causing it to crack along where the massive Titan tightened it's grip on and then another massive hand rose again as the Titan was no holding upon the wall to pull itself up revealing it's face to the city bellow and to us.

But it had no face to begin with.

Blood dropped from it's orifice like streams splattering down toward the wall and I swore I heard people screaming from the boiling blood falling upon them. The Titan didn't even have a mouth though all I see for it's face were the fleshy bits that were vaguely looked like a mouth, along with a tongue and it didn't even have eyes nor anything.

I could see it's inside as well as the ribcage was opened probably from him dragging himself on the ground and the organs from the inside were all visible for all to see as piece of it fell upon the top of the wall as well making a disgusting wet sound and I felt the need to vomit suddenly but I held it in.

"Sarah here."

Mikasa extended a bucket filled with water toward me and I suddenly threw it on, feeling the cool liquid hit my skin, cooling me from the heat of the Titan's body. A sudden blast of lightning from behind me drew my gaze toward it finding the Rogue Titan appearing now, in a crouched state, which told me that Eren had transformed.

"Thanks," I told her.

Mikasa give me a firm nod before doing the same to herself.

"All set Commander," Armin yelled out as he was holding the strange device that was going to be used to destabilize the Titan's hand.

I drew my blades out getting ready.

Erwin raised his gun in the air.

"On my mark," he yelled, " _NOW."_

A red flare launched into the air.

Armin launched the hook of the machine forward and they hit the Titan's palm and then he let go as soon as it did so. The thing was attached to a barrel of gunpower so being this close to the Titan's heat will cause it to explode and exploded it did.

A similar thing happened on the other hand as the Titan let out another strange roaring sound, it's hand no longer able to support the weight of his body.

"Alright," Armin said, "It's losing balance."

 _C'mon…C'mon…_

The Titan then started to tilt forward until the head collapsed against the top of the Wall causing it tremble beneath my feet as I placed myself in a crouch position so that I didn't fall over from the sudden gust of wind that danced above me and then Rogue was there running straight toward it as it was now carrying the package we have been preparing earlier straight toward the Titan's mouthless face.

He then threw it all inside of it's mouth and for a few seconds we've waited and I swore I could hear my heart thundering inside my chest at those precious seconds and then…multiple explosions took place within the Titan's throat causing it's skin around the nape to bulge until the massive explosion engulfed it entirely sending pieces of flesh flying toward the city.

"GO NOW," Erwin yelled, "ENGAGE Now. Finish it off."

We all launched from the wall aiming straight toward the many large piece of flesh that were falling from the sky. I grit my teeth in anger as I launched myself straight toward the largest piece closer to me and sliced straight through it but there was no change from the Titan at all.

 _Less than minute to go…go to find the nape quickly._

I launched a hook straight toward another piece and sliced it again thought from the corner of my eyes, I noticed Historia as well, her blonde hair dancing through the wind as she flew straight toward a large piece that seemingly had a piece of something attached to it but then, she gave it a deep strike.

That had an immediate reaction for the Titan let out a powerful screech as its body exploded into a massive wave of steam…thought I could have sworn I heard a man yelling out as well.

And that was how the battle of Orvud District had come to an end with the Scouts being victorious against the 120 meters Titan.

* * *

 **Victory over the turkey Titan...**

 **Next Time:** Family

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **R &R**


	48. Family

**Hey guys, new update here. Thanks for the reviews last chapter.**

 **But now enjoy this new one.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah seating side by side with her mother as they were both laughing together.

Chapter Forty-Eight

Family

 **The Interior**

 **Mitras**

The carriage was moving through the streets of the city, passing the many people who were around the streets reading the newspaper however, what could really draw attention was the sight of the Royal flag which was hanging everywhere anyone could see as they were preparing for the coronation of the new Queen of the Walls, which would take place tomorrow morning.

Most of the military branches and their Commanders had come to the Capital so that they could witness the moment when the young girl will take her crown back from the pretender King.

"The chosen heir, the one that defeat the 120-meter Titan and saved Orvud District has come to reclaim her crown," I murmured softly to myself looking out as the carriage made a turn at another road.

"What was that?" my companion asked.

I glanced at him.

"Just talking to myself," I answered.

Caleb was dressed in a suit as he looked at me, a light frown upon his features but the young man simply nodded at me before folding the paper he was reading upon his lap. He was dressed quite sharply and anyone who glanced at the young man could tell that he had grown up in money.

"I appreciate you doing this for me by the way," I told him giving the young man a glance.

"I was due to a visit later this week," Caleb answered, "But thanks to you, I get to this a whole lot sooner…I even got a deal going on with the Reeves Company thanks to you so this is the least I could do. How did you even manage that one in the first place?"

I let out a small smile.

"The Reeves Company helped us in a tight spot," I told him with a light shrug of my shoulders, "I was simply returning the favor that I own."

Caleb shook his head.

"Well, I don't know how you did it but with that deal I made with Dimo's son," he said, "I think both companies are going to benefit from it. After everything that happened these past few days, a few days of peace might do all of us some good…thought I never imagined the King would be a puppet of the government…thought I must say, this new to be Queen of ours was a member of the Scouts yes? What makes you think that the people won't think that she is just like the one before?"

I frowned lightly.

He has a point unfortunately as most of the nobles were pretty comfortable about how things were going so far. To have a sudden change of power and some nobles taken prisoners in conspiracy with the false King Fritz, I have heard that type of talks around before in the few days since we took down the Rod Reiss Titan.

"It is a concern," I told him, "But we don't plan to keep things hidden from the public much like the old government had done. That was the entire reason of the coup d'état in the first place. Things would be different this time…at least that is my hope."

Caleb let out a small hum as he crossed his arms.

"You still haven't told me why you wanted to come," he said.

The carriage then started down a familiar road as long-lost memories tugged deep within my mind. I leaned closer toward the window staring out toward the home that I had grown up in. it looked largely how I remember it being since the last time I was within that house five years ago. A large mansion with darkish green rooftops and turquoise colored walls. The gate of the home was still the same dark color it was the last time I was there and as we were approaching closer to it the word REYNE could be seen written upon a plaque by the entrance.

"Just…putting some old ghosts to rest," I answered him softly.

Caleb let out a sigh as the carriage came to a stop in front of the gate of the house. We waited for a few moments before the driver opened the door for us and Caleb was the first one to step out placing his hat upon his head as he held upon the newspaper that was in his hand. I followed after him, dressed in my military uniform as the Wings of Freedom were emblazoned upon my back, telling everyone in the vicinity which branch of the military I was part of.

I glanced up toward the building in front of me, and it was like I had stepped back in time to my younger years seeing this place again. It really hadn't changed one bit in the five years I have been gone from it hasn't it?

"C'mon," Caleb told me giving my shoulder a light tap.

I glanced at him briefly before following after him. We walked together silently for a few moments.

"I had sent word ahead that I was coming," Caleb spoke out as we got closer to the door, "I didn't say anything about you however. To tell you the truth, I'm kind of looking forward to what their reactions will be."

I give him a glance.

"You take pleasure in shocking them?" I deadpanned.

The young man let out a small shrug.

"Not really," he said, "Just…having a strange satisfaction."

I couldn't help the snort that grew from me at that.

"You haven't changed at all from when we were kids," I said, "Still the same narcissist brat from back then."

"Hey, I am the one doing you a favor today," Caleb told me giving me a look.

"You didn't deny it."

We reached the door and Caleb knocked. We didn't have to wait long before the door opened and a beautiful dark-haired woman was there in front of us. She had large brown eyes that were taking us in with a light curiosity within them as they looked at me but they light up when they saw Caleb beside me.

"Caleb," she greeted with a grin, "Your mother told me that you'll be coming today."

"Good morning Mrs. Reyne," he greeted with a small smile.

I perked up at that.

 _So that's father new wife._

The woman waved her hand.

"Caleb, we're practically family," she said, "I told you to call me Juliet….but dear me, where are my manners? Come on in."

She stepped back allowing the two of us to step inside the familiar foyer. It didn't change much either from the distant memories I had of the place thought as I gave it a quick glance as we stepped inside and the woman, Juliet closed the door behind us.

"Is my mother in?" Caleb asked glancing at her.

"She is the living room with Albert," Juliet answered, "She has been there for an hour before you arrived. She seemed to be excited for once, told me things were looking up for your work."

Caleb smiled, "Ah yes, we've dealt with a major player in Trost thanks to a mutual acquaintance into a deal that would help both us and them in the long run."

"Well you have your father's wit about you then," Juliet said with soft laughter, but then her eyes turned toward me, "And who might you be? It's not everyday a soldier come here to my home?"

I gave her a polite smile.

"I'm simply here to talk to your husband," I told her, "I have some business I need to finalize with him."

Juliet tilted her head lightly.

"Well you won't be the only one," she said, "I think we had a visit from one of the Garrison Commander…Pixis I think. He seems to be a fan of the wine that my husband family made."

That got a light smirk out of me. Pixis seemed to be a fan from the last time I met him.

"Yes," I said, "the Southern Commander is quite fond of a good wine."

"My husband is not home right now," Juliet told me, "But he should be returning quite soon given the coronation taking place tomorrow. You can come wait for him in the living room if you want."

"Of course Mrs. Reyne," I said with a light nod of my head.

"Juliet, please."

I looked at the woman's eyes. Despite their color which were brown there was this gentleness about her that reminded me of my mother for some odd reason. Maybe it's because she is a mother herself but I found myself lightly smiling at her.

"Juliet, thank you for the invitation," I told her.

She smiled again at me and then led us out of the foyer and into the living room.

It was a large room with couches surrounding a small table which had a potted plant upon it. There was no fire burning in the fireplace but the room was still quite pleasantly warm from the light coming from the windows. I took in the room remembering fondly spending time with my mother in that very room. It was where she first convinced me to play the flute since I saw her playing it as well one day. However, today the only person that were inside that room were another woman in a small boy.

I recognized the woman instantly as Charlotte, my father's sister. Her attention was upon the small boy that was at her side and the boy shared the same black hair as Juliet meaning that must be the son that Caleb mentioned some weeks ago when we first met. When we all entered the room, Charlotte looked up, her eyes taking us in.

"I thought I heard your voice Caleb," she said, "I was just telling dear Juliet about your deal with the Reeve…"

She trailed off, her eyes finally landing on me. I can see them widening as they took me in, recognition flashing within her eyes. She instantly stood up from where she was seating.

"You…," she started, "What are you…?"

Juliet was a little bit confused as she glanced between Charlotte and I.

"You know her?" she asked.

Charlotte glanced at her, taking notice of the confusion that was on Juliet face before looking back at me. something must have clicked for she simply smiled.

"Oh…it's nothing" she said, "We've simply met before back in Trost a few years ago."

"Really?" Juliet repeated, "I had no idea you knew some soldiers."

"It's a small world," I said simply, thought given our territory of Wall Rose and Sina, that was quite a literal expression, "It's good to see you again lady Charlotte."

"I…er…well, good to see you to as well," Charlotte answered, thought I could tell she was still shocked to see me standing here in this home again.

"Would you like some refreshments?" Juliet asked.

"Some tea will be nice thank you," I asked her.

"Well then, take a seat," she said indicating the empty couch in front of me, "I shall have some ready for you soon."

She smiled lightly at me again before walking off making her way toward the kitchen. As soon as she was gone, Charlotte turned her attention toward me, her eyes narrowing lightly.

"Considering the last time we've met," she said, "You made it pretty sure that you didn't want anything to do with us anymore?"

"Last time we met I was…angsty teenager," I answered her with a light shrug of my shoulders, "After everything that I have been through these past few weeks. I simply decided that it's time to mend old wounds."

"You're here to speak with him then?" Charlotte said.

I nodded.

The woman let out a chuckle, shaking her head lightly.

"I always told me that it would come to bite him in the ass one day," she said, "Thought, when did you and Caleb become friends? I doubt you were close in childhood?"

Caleb told her the story of how he reunited with me at Eren's trial months previously. As he was speaking, my attention was drawn toward the small boy who had made his way toward me, a curious look upon his features. Looking at him, I can see my own father's features upon his face and they even had the same eyes but his just showed wonderous curiosity instead of the cold look my father usually gave me.

"Your eyes are pretty," the boy said looking at me.

I smiled lightly at him. The boy was adorable with those pudgy cheeks that were just begging to be pinched. I can feel my hands twitching at the sudden need to do so but I refrained. So this little boy was my half brother. I didn't look much like my father but I do share the same hair color that he has but my appearance was a perfect image of my own mother if people were to be believed.

"Thank you little one," I answered him, "What is your name?"

"Albert," he said, "Albert Reyne…what about you?"

"I'm Sarah," I told him softly, "It's nice to meet you Albert."

The boy giggled as he stood in front of me holding upon my knees.

"He likes you," Juliet spoke out returning in the room with a tray in her hands, "He doesn't take well to strangers."

"Yeah no kidding," Caleb said, "It took me months just to talk to me…and you did it in seconds."

"Maybe I'm just good with kids," I told Caleb as the young boy was playing with my hands, holding it within his owns.

The young man simply shook his head at me. Juliet was nice enough to pour me a cup of tea as well as she took Albert upon her lap. I looked at them both, taking in the care and love that could easily be seeing when she was holding her son upon her lap. I wonder if that's how my mother used to look whenever I was with her back then.

"Is the tea not to your taste?" Juliet asked me.

I blinked.

"Sorry," I told her, "I was just lost in thoughts for a few moments. The tea is delicious actually…however Juliet, I must ask, how is it living here with Mr. Reyne?"

The woman blinked at me seemingly surprised at the question.

"It was strange at first," she said, "Before I married him, I heard he lost both his wife and daughter to what happened in Wall Maria five years ago. He seems to be absorbed in his work, something that I am familiar with thanks to my own father…but he is a good man…a little aloof with his feelings but genuinely good."

I can feel both Caleb and Charlotte's gaze upon me probably waiting for my answer to this. I was still shocked that there was one person that still think of my father as a good person. I never thought of the man as a good person in the first place given what had happened to me.

"Good," I said softly, "You really love him don't you?"

Juliet smiled.

"Of course," she said, "And this little bundle of joy is the product of that."

 _Then what was I then?_ I thought, _was I just…nothing to him at all?_

The front door slammed closed as the sound of a new set of footsteps entered inside the home. I turned my gaze toward the direction it came from and then there he was. My father, dressed in his impeccable suit as usual his brown hair falling over the left side of his face as he entered the room. He glanced down toward the pocket watch he was holding.

"Juliet, you didn't tell me that you had company," he said looking into the room.

"Leon," Juliet stood up with a small smile.

She approached him and give him a kiss on the cheek. My father's gaze went toward the living room noticing Caleb and his sister but I saw him freeze in shock when his eyes met mine. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost. Noticing that I have his attention, I placed the tea cup upon the table before standing up.

"Mr. Reyne," I said with a light nod, "Can we speak in private?"

The man stared at me for a good full minute completely shocked at me much to the confusion of his wife that was beside him. I noticed the quick glance he sent toward his sister but I didn't look, keeping my gaze firm and my face blank of all the emotions that I was feeling at the moment. I'd expected to feel rage or at least hatred when I saw him again after five years…but all I felt was nothing more than the echo of the affection of the small girl that I was…nothing more, nothing less.

"Ah…yes," he said finally coming back to himself, "Of course…we'll talk in my office."

"Are you okay Leon?" Juliet asked, in a worried tone.

"I'm fine," he said giving her a light smile, "I just wasn't expecting…don't' worry about this. I'll take care of it quickly."

Juliet didn't seem reassured by him but she seems to trust him for she nodded. He nodded at me to follow him and I did so as the two of us left the living room behind, walking down the familiar hallway of the house. It was an awkward silence safe for nothing but the sound of our footsteps and the gentle wind that blew from the window.

We reached the office soon enough hand he entered it first, I followed after him. I had never been here before when I was younger but it was a pretty standard one with a desk at the end of the room. The rooms smelled lightly of cigars and wine probably spent a lot of time drinking here as there were some documents upon the desk in a corner of it.

He turned to look at me and I met those eyes of his. They had nothing of the coldness I remembered from back then but they still had the shocked expression within them.

"Sarah," he said.

"It's been a long time," I told him.

"You look a lot like your mother," he said, softly, "For a second back there, I thought I was looking at Rose back when we first met."

I narrowed my eyes, "You don't seem to be too broken over her death considering how quickly you remarried after what happened in Shingashina."

He winced at the cutting tone I was using. He looked away for a moment, before looking back at me.

"Why are you here?" he asked, "Why did you come back after all these years?"

"If you think I came back because I want something from you," I spoke out slowly, "There is nothing you have that I want. I lived in this house for eleven years, and I never wanted to come back…But there is one thing that I know that only you can give me."

He looked at me, a wary expression appearing upon his features.

"And what's that?"

"Why did you hated my mother and me?" I asked him.

The man blinked, surprised. Seems whatever he was expecting me to do wasn't what he thought.

"You want to know about that?"

I nodded. The man ran a hand through his hair then.

"I…I didn't hate your mother."

"Bullshit," I said.

"I didn't," he said, "I…my father arranged it with the Gray family years ago. It was an arranged marriage because he shared a friendship with some second-rate citizen. I already had a girl that I was in love with back then, and I wanted to marry her but then out of nowhere he told me I was going to marry some other girl because he says so."

He seems to be seething in rage about what had happened to him.

"I was the heir to one of the most famous wine company in the Walls and yet my marriage was to some girl I never met before? I hated it. We argued about it a lot but my father was nothing if not a stubborn old fool. He wouldn't budge and he said that if I didn't marry her, and make a child with the Roselyn Gray, I would not be his heir anymore…so I swallowed my pride and did what he asked."

The man looked at me.

"I tried to love your mother," he said, "But all I could see was nothing more than the girl that I was denied…the chains that my father placed upon me."

"So, you focused your anger upon my mother who was innocent of all this," I said, "Have you ever paused to think on how she felt about all of this? Have you ever even talked about this to her at all?"

"I may have dealt with the situation poorly…," he started.

"May have," I retorted, "Do you know what I felt every time I saw you back then? A child is supposed to feel love and happiness when they saw their father. Yet, all I could felt was fear. I was frightened of you…of even spending time with you back then. You were my father…and I was scared of you."

I shook my head.

"But I guess Shingashina was a blessing in disguise for you isn't it?" I said, "When the Wall fell, and my mother perished….all you probably felt was relief that you didn't have to deal with us anymore right?"

The man stayed silent for few moments.

"Yes…I did."

I felt my hand move and then my father's face was suddenly thrown to the side as he stepped back holding upon his cheek. It was then I realized I had just punched him with how much my hand throbbed at the slight pain. The man was holding his bruised cheeks as he hissed in pain.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't a father to you," he said, "I'm sorry about what I have done to both you and Rose…"

I looked at him, and for a moment I wanted to kill him. I wanted to transform into a Titan and smash his entire house upon his head…step upon him until he was a bloody smear upon the ground…but I didn't. Not because that I couldn't…because he was just not worth it.

"I guess my mother and I were just obstacles in your way," I said looking down at him, "tying you in chains to your own father…when my mother died, you found it as a way to break off those chains and never went looking for me either because you didn't want me to be tied to you…but I guess I could count it as a blessing in disguise….because if you hadn't abandon me five years ago…I wouldn't be who I am today...strong enough to break the chains that tied me to you."

My father looked at me, and there was confusion upon his features.

"What do you mean?"

"Like I said earlier," I told him, "You have nothing that I want. You want the world to believe that Sarah Reyne died five years ago in Shingashina and you're right, she did die. That girl was a weakling who couldn't do nothing but cry so she died and became Sarah Gray. Sarah Gray was strong, and she faced many challenges and fought against many horrors but some part of her was still Sarah Reyne because she was still chained to you."

I frowned.

"I came here to break that chains today," I continued, "To let go of both Sarah Reyne and Sarah Gray. I will reclaim the name that my family abandoned a long time ago and this will be the last time we will meet each other, Leon Reyne. So grovel like the pathetic man you are."

With that, I turned around and walked out of the room leaving him there on the ground. I walked through the hall of the house making my way toward the entrance and I found Caleb standing by the entrance of the living room. He was the first to notice me.

"Hey are you okay?" he asked me.

I smiled.

"Everything is fine…I've done what I needed to do," I answered him.

"Good," he said, "I'll take you back to the military building. I have some stuff to take care of soon."

"Leaving already?"

It was Juliet. The woman looked at us curiously as she approached.

"I'm afraid so," I told her, "I have concluded my business with your husband. I hope you enjoy the rest of your day Juliet."

"Of course, miss….," Juliet said before pausing, "Oh, I'm sorry I just realized. I never caught your name."

I smiled lightly at her.

"It's Ashler," I said, "Sarah Ashler."

Juliet gave me a kind smile in return.

"Of course," she said, "Have a nice day as well."

I made my way out of the house with Caleb walking beside me. the two of us made our way toward the carriage that was still there waiting for us.

"For a second there, I thought you were going to introduce yourself as Reyne," he said.

"I'm not his daughter anymore," I answered, "I stopped being his daughter in the last five years ago…I was simply here to put old ghosts to rest, as I have told you before."

Caleb seems to nod.

"Is that so?" he murmured, "And the name Ashler…where did you come up with that one?"

I only smiled to myself.

"Just get me back to the military building," I told him, "I Have a coronation to prepare for you know."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

 **Sarah takes on her new name...Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** Recollection

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	49. Recollection

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah smiling up toward the sky while broken form lays at her feet.

Chapter Forty-Nine

Recollection

Historia's coronation took place in front of the Royal Palace upon an elevated platform. She looked regal and radiant dressed in her royal robes as she climbed upon it with the platform with the Commanders of the Three Military Branches accompanying her, her red fur lined cloak dancing lightly in the wind around the young woman as she took her knee in front of the Premiere who was going to be the one to crown her.

The Crown was golden with some jewels upon it as the man placed it upon her head and then as Historia rose up, all the Commanders kneeled down to her, submitting to her as the new Queen of the Walls. The young woman then stood there facing the crowd before placing her fist over her heart and then all of the soldiers who were present saluted back at her as the crowd cheered and jeered for the new queen that had taken her crown from the pretender. I stood there among the Scouts looking up toward Historia with a light smile upon my lips, saluting her as the new Queen within the Walls.

 _Flashback to a few days ago…_

 _It had been a day since we took down the Rod Reiss Titan and I was walking straight toward the room that I was summoned to. Historia had told me that she needed to speak with me about something before the battle had begun against the massive 120 meter Titan, and I must say I was still pretty shocked that she was the one who actually placed a final blow against him. However, somehow it made it feel a little poetic justice in a way as the daughter that Rod Reiss had casted aside and the one, he had tried to manipulate was the one who managed to finish him off._

 _I reached the door and knocked._

" _Enter,"_

 _I followed the voice's command and entered the room. Historia was seating there at the table within the room with a book open in front of her. She was dressed in simple civilian clothing once more as the battle in Orvud was the last battle she was going to participate in before she takes her new place as the Queen. It was still weird to think that Historia, the small cute girl that I knew from military camp is going to be the new Queen._

" _Sarah," she said looking up at me._

" _Hey," I smiled giving her a light wave, "I see you're out of the uniform."_

 _The girl glanced at her clothing._

" _Yeah," she said, "I will be heading toward the Interior tomorrow to prepare to become the Queen."_

 _I took the empty chair that was across her._

" _Are you sure that's what you really want to do Historia?" I asked her, concern rising within me._

 _She nodded._

" _I am," she said looking up, "I know that you're all worried about me, but I'll be fine. After everything that had happened these past few days with the Scouts and my father…taking this role is something that I truly want and besides, it's not like I'll be doing it alone. I will have Captain Levi and Commander Erwin to help me and the other advisors who helped in the coup d'état."_

 _I nodded._

" _But that's not why I wanted to talk to you about," Historia continued looking at the book that was in front of her, "You remember back when I said that touching Eren's back somehow unlocked memories that I had of the past…I had finally remember where I had read the name Ashler before and how I knew about it."_

 _I blinked at her, surprised._

" _You do?"_

 _Historia smiled._

" _My sister…Frieda mentioned them to me," she said, a brief saddened look appearing in her blue eyes at the mention of her dead sister, "She said that the Ashler were our cousin family…we're distantly related."_

 _I stared at Historia, feeling completely shocked at what she had just told me._

" _We're…what?"_

 _Historia looked down at the book in front of her. She pushed it toward me and I glanced down at what was written down in front of me. It was a light information about the first King of the Walls, King Fritz and his immediate family._

" _When the First King created the Walls," Historia said, "His younger brother had taken a wife from a distant land. It was never mentioned where exactly his wife came from but the woman's name was Anja Ashler. The two families were side by side for a long time before a fracture took place over fifty years ago. The book didn't detail what really happened but whatever it was, it caused the Ashler family to die out…and from recent events, we know that the First Interior Squad were probably responsible for it."_

 _I stared at the book in my hand for a few moments as I remembered Sannes words from the moment we were talking and how he was saying that I had cursed blood within my veins. The blood of the First King is within me, the blood of the Reiss family…_

" _This book will probably be more interesting to you," Historia told me._

" _No…it's more than enough," I answered her, "thank you Historia."_

 _She smiled._

" _It's kind of a relief actually to hear that I still have family here even if we are distantly related," the blonde laughed lightly._

 _I stared at the book before closing it._

" _Is it possible that we can keep this between us for now?" I asked her._

 _Historia blinked, surprise upon her features._

" _Why?"_

" _Please," I asked her, "I want to have all the information that I need before I make a big announcement like that. However, since I know that I am related to the Ashler, I will be taking the name that my family abandoned instead of the one I have now. My father was…kind of a piece of shit, if you don't mind the language and I don't want to be tied to him no longer."_

 _Historia tilted her head lightly, "If that is what you wish."_

 _I nodded at her._

" _It is."_

" _I'll put the word out to our friends that you're changing your name," she said, "But Sarah…are you sure about this?"_

 _I smiled at her._

" _It won't be the first time I introduced myself under a different name," I told her, "But like this, I can said my true name instead of the one my father give me."_

 _There was something in the blonde's gaze that showed me that she understood at least where I was coming from after all, she had been living under the guise of "Krista Lenz" until recently. She gives me a light nod._

" _Okay, I'll help you."_

 _End of flashback_

The book Historia had given me was quite informative about the relations between the royal family and the Ashler family…thought, it didn't really reveal anything about the Titans at all, thought did notice they were frequent deaths within the families every decades or so and it made me wonder about it if that was something that was related to the ability of the Titans in a way. The information about the Ashler was even less.

The first woman who bare the name Ashler, Anja Ashler there wasn't much information about her at all, other than saying that she came from a place from beyond the walls. Whoever wrote this probably didn't have any idea on what the true nature of the royal family and even the Ashler for that matter. From what was said about her, the woman lived quite a long-life giving birth to four children, three boys and a girl before passing away at the age of eighty-five or something.

Thought as I read even more, they were a lot of odd events take places within the Ashler family over the years. Something was described as one of the Ashler fell to madness and there was even a scandal of incest between two of the family members, a uncle and his niece thought they were both executed for the crime along with the child that was born from it and the more I read about it, the more of a pattern started to appear within my mind.

There was always a strain of madness within the Ashler family. In almost every generation there is one Ashler that is believed to have succumbed to madness one way or another and from what was written in the book said that the entire family was burned alive within their own home, something that many people believed to have been a tragedy, thought knowing how the false King and the Interior Police manipulated events in the Walls, and Sannes confession when I talked to him in the dungeons they were probably the ones that were responsible for it.

It was how Armin found me, a few days after the coronation of Queen Historia, seating at the lunchroom of the Scouts Headquarters reading through the trials of the incestuous relationship between the uncle and the niece.

"Sarah, that's where you are," he said.

I glanced up at him.

"Oh…Armin," I greeted him, "What's up?"

"You know Captain Hange is already waiting for you right?" the young man told me.

I blinked before realizing what he was talking about. Ever since the woman knew that I could transform into a Titan she had wanted to run an experiment on me similar to how she had done with Eren, but given the clean up operation in Orvud as well as the coronation there wasn't really a time for that to happen yet, however…

"Is it already the time?" I asked, looking at the old clock that was on the wall behind me.

Armin nodded.

"Yeah," he said, "What are you reading anyway?"

I closed the book that I was reading.

"Historia gave me a book about the Ashler before she left for the capital," I told him, "Just some factual information that I have been reading so far…thought I don't know how much of it to actually believe given how the government manipulated things to their likings."

Armin's eyes light up at the book.

"Can I borrow it later?" he asked.

I shrugged at him.

"I don't mind," I answered sliding the book toward him, "Just promise to give it back when you're done."

The blonde nodded as we both left the room so that we can meet up with the rest of the squad. Given that everyone in the Scouts were somewhat aware of my ability as a Titan, we didn't really have to hide that much anymore but it was still Commander Erwin's idea to have a field where we could properly go on about Titan experimentation. Turn out it was the field that Eren had been practicing his hardening ability and he had even managed to harden the mouth of a cave closing it completely as the experiments had resumed.

"Sarah, you're here," Hange said noticing me approaching with Armin.

"Captain Hange," I saluted as I approached her.

I noticed Eren and Mikasa along with Jean there as well as they were with their ODM thought Eren didn't have his. The young man looked at me and gave me a light smirk.

"I guess we're finally going to see what your Titan looked like," he said.

"But we actually do how she look like," Mikasa pointed out, "We saw her back in Trost remember?"

"You do remember the giant boulder I was carrying on my back that day right?" Eren deadpanned, "Was kind of too preoccupied to actually pay attention at other Titans around me."

Mikasa blinked at that.

"Well I never seen her before so this will be a first for me," Jean said.

I shook my head at them.

"Alright everyone," Hange said clapping her hands together, "Well, Sarah I have been hearing rumors about your Titan for a while now and from what I managed to gather from your encounter with Annie in the forest that you can control your Titan body…unlike Eren, however today we are going to push your body to it's limit and see how many times you can transform and we'll see how cohesive you can be after multiple transformations alright?"

I nodded.

I had never done this before so I was actually kind of excited about it.

"Alright everyone in position," Hange yelled, "When you see the flare that means you can transform."

I nodded at the woman as everyone moved away leaving me standing my myself in the field. I pulled out the pocketknife that was in my clothing and started to twirl it waiting for the signal that I needed to transform into my fourteen-meter Titan. Then there was the sound of a flare shooting into the air, a green one and I instantly stabbed my left hand through.

My vision was completely overcoming with white as the Titan took shape around me and the next thing, I knew I was seeing through the eyes of my Titan, towering around the trees that were around me. I blinked slowly taking in the grayish pale hands and the large amount of steam rising from my body from the heat of the Titan's skin.

"Woooho," Hange yelled out from where she was.

I glance toward her noticing the woman approaching toward where I was. There was an hesitancy within her steps like she expected me to suddenly lunge for her and given the Titans we usually encountered, she had a pretty good reason to be cautious.

"You can understand me right Sarah?" she called out.

I nodded at her.

"Oh…I guess you really can control your Titan ability," she said with a light grin upon her face, "How magnificent. I always heard you were Gray and your body is very similar to the Female Titan…thought I wonder if all women who became Titan look like Female somehow…but we've never seen a Female Titan before…"

She shook her head.

"Anyway," she said, "We're going to do a few exercises to figure out your limits alright."

I nodded again.

"Can you speak by the way?"

I shook my head no.

"Same as Eren then," she said, "Alright, let's get to it."

Turn out, she had me doing the exact thing that Eren had been doing during his own Titan training exercise so I followed her orders to the letter. It was quite strange I was able to transform in plain view of the people given what Maria had told me before about keeping it a secret from everyone. I guess things change from how it was when Historia took the throne.

"Hey Sarah," Hange waved, drawing my eyes toward her, "I have an idea I wanted you to do try out. I'm going to ask you a few questions and you're going to draw your answer on the ground right…like the first thing that pop in your mind…got it?"

I nodded at her curious about what she was going to do.

"Alright," Hange smiled, "Father?"

I narrowed my eyes at her but I wrote the name down.

 _Leon._

"Mother?"

 _Roselyn_

Hange smiled lightly.

"Your name?"

S _arah_

"Friends?"

 _Eren, Armin, Mikasa, Jean…Narissa…Sasha, Connie…._

"You didn't write Mikasa's name?" Hange said frowning, "Aren't you two friends?"

I nodded looking at what I had written. I was sure I wrote down Mikasa's name and I looked at the name I wrote beside Jean but instead of Mikasa, the name Elza was written in it's place.

"Whose Elza?" Hange asked me surprised.

The image of a dark-haired girl appeared within my mind once more and my hand wrote down something without, I was even aware of it.

 _Sister…lover…my half…_

* * *

 **NO POV**

Hange instantly noticed something was off.

When she had seen Sarah writing the names of her friends on the ground, she had smiled lightly at them but then one of the names stood out. It was a name she had never seen before and it made her wonder exactly who it was. She had never heard of anyone called Elza before at least, none in the Scouts member at least.

"Whose Elza?" she asked looking at the Titan in front of her.

She noticed the amber eyes fixing upon the name that it was written. it was like Sarah was both far away lost in her thought seemingly thinking about something before she started to write again.

 _Sister…lover…my half…_

Hange blinked in confusion at what was written in front of her before looking up at the Titan in front of her. Tears were falling down from the Gray Titan's eyes as she let out a low groan almost like a wounded animal. Hange stepped back a little, noticing that something was off about the Gray Titan in front of her. The writing on the ground were starting to become more and more erratic barely eligible safe for a few words like "false prophet", "Everest" , and "Path must connect" whatever that means…

With a loud boom, Sarah face planted upon the ground, the Titan's nape exploding into a wave of steam as the girl real body was thrown off from the Titan and into the ground beside it. Hange instantly launched the red flare in the sky, signaling the end of the experiment and then running toward the fallen girl. Steam was rising from her clothing which were still intact as she had the marking of her transformation upon her face…but Sarah was unmoving.

"Sarah, are you okay?" she asked, "Sarah can you hear me?"

The girl remained unresponsive.

 _Shit it's just like what happened with Eren during his transformation tests. Does she have some repressed memories like he did and she isn't even aware of it?_

"Captain Hange, what happened?"

"Is she okay?"

The section leader turned toward them.

"We're heading back," she said, "The experiment is over."

Eren, Mikasa and Jean were all looking down at Sarah with a shocked expression upon their faces but they quickly moved forward to help her upon her feet as they worked together to carry the girl back at headquarters. Hange stayed there watching them go for a moment before looking down at the gibberish that was written down in front of her. Most of the words were illegible at best as she wondered exactly just what had happened in that moment.

After taking notes on what had happened, the woman walked off, with a frown upon her features.

 _I'm going to have to talk to Sarah when she woke up to see what she remembers of what had just happened,_ she thought, _Eren didn't really remember much from the experiments we had done and writing about his father…could this Elza be connected to the Titan in some way…if so from what I can understand Sarah didn't have a sister…but then why did she wrote it down…_

She stared down at the note in her hands, the note she had taken of the scribbling.

"Sister…lover, my half," she said reading it.

 _There is something I am missing here._

* * *

"So, the experiment was a failure then?"

Erwin Smith was looking at her with a frown upon his features, a slight frown upon his face. The Scout Commander was reading the report she had made about the experiment that took place earlier today. The sun had long since gone down and Sarah was still unconscious from the experiment last, she had heard.

"Not much of an experiment if she croaks before you could begin," Levi added taking a sip from his tea.

"It's not much of a failure," Hange said, "During it all, she had perfect control of everything even her Titan didn't show any sign of going berserk at all. Most of the coordination part of the experiment went even better than when Eren did it…however, it was the memory part that somehow caused her to crash."

Hange looked at the two men.

"We know from Historia and Eren's story about what happened under the Reiss Chapel that when Eren was touched by them, he was somehow able to access his father's memory. Sarah has memories within her that she doesn't really know about yet…given how she reacted during the time when we were going to rescue Eren…she seems familiar with the Reiss chapel and even told us how the underground cave was going to be like. Based on everything we have so far, it would be fair to assume that Sarah had somehow access the memories of a previous holder of the Gray Titan…thought who it could be we don't know since the Ashler family was wiped out."

Erwin looked at the notes in front of him.

"Then the only clue we have is this Elza person," he said.

"This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack without a proper idea on how we have to proceed" Levi said, "however I might have an idea on how we can get to that truth quickly."

Both Erwin and Hange looked at the small man, surprised.

"You…you do?" Hange said surprised.

Erwin looked at the man.

"You mentioned something like that before didn't you Levi?" Erwin asked looking at him.

Levi placed his cup on the table, looking at them.

"I did," he said, "There is someone by the name of Ashler in the Underground District…and when Sarah wakes up from whatever had happened to her, we will go and find out exactly what they know and I have a feeling they'll be more inclined to talk if she was with us."

* * *

 **The Ashler mystery sprung forth...**

 **Next Time:** Echoes

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	50. Echoes

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A young girl's back with long flowing black hair...

Chapter Fifty

Echoes

The sound of running water was the first thing in my mind.

It was clear and crisp almost like I was standing right in front of the location of the river with both of my eyes closed. There was the strange smell of nature around me, yet lightly cold with how I was feeling. I didn't know where I was but somehow…it felt familiar, and it felt safe.

" _Not the best place to fall asleep you know,"_ a familiar voice spoke out to me.

I feel a light smile rising to my lips at that and I opened my eyes.

There was that girl again, the one with the long dark hair seating at the base of the tree I was lightly dozing against. I stared at her, seeing how the light of the early morning sun reflected against her dark locks. Her pale skin looked almost translucent as she gazed off the distance with dark yet pensive eyes.

" _Mikasa…,"_ I whispered.

The girl looked at me, her soft eastern features glinting lightly.

" _That's not the first time you call me that you know…are you experiencing it again?"_

I blinked at her.

" _What do you mean?"_

The girl looked at me, almost as if she was searching something in my gaze.

" _Tell me…what's your name?"_ she asked.

" _Sarah…,"_ I answered almost immediately but as soon as I said it, something felt wrong about the name. I frowned to myself almost like it should be different…yet…

A soft hand touched my cheek drawing my gaze again. Those dark eyes met my own. The look in her eyes looked like she had a deep concern within her, almost like she was cautious but also like she had seen something like that happening before.

" _That's not your name,"_ she answered.

Then I was awake.

Sunlight was shining through the window in the distance and from the looks of it, it was late morning. I glanced at the window for a moment, almost lost in thoughts about what was happening with me before I pulled myself up feeling the covers that were upon my body falling down toward my lap. I was wearing more lighter clothing and I find myself wondering how exactly I managed to get here.

I don't remember much of what had happened the previous day…thought, I knew before waking up that I was dreaming about something but what it could be I don't remember much of it…except the sensation of hearing running water.

"I wonder…what was I dreaming about?" I murmured lightly.

I decided to get dressed and maybe get something in my stomach which felt like a hole had been punched within it. Dressing in a long-sleeved shirt and a skirt, I made my way out of the room that I was in and in direction of the mess hall. I still feel oddly weakened, strangely like how I feel whenever I got out of the Titan body but I don't remember transforming into a Titan lately…

 _The experiment…Hange…_

Memories were returning to me now. I was doing an experiment with Captain Hange but I don't really remember what had happened during the experiment at all. I needed to know exactly what had happened during the experiment and how exactly did I ended up in bed with no memories on how I got there exactly?

"Sarah,"

It was Mikasa. The girl was in her uniform as she was coming from the hallway in the opposite direction. The girl looked surprised to see me here in front of her and she quickly approached toward me. I smile automatically at the sight of her, feeling oddly lightened at her presence.

"Hey Mikasa," I greeted her.

"How long have you been up?" the dark-haired girl asked me.

"I just woke up actually," I answered her, "Do you have any idea on how I got there? I don't really remember much…"

"Eren and I carried you back to the room," she said, as we started to walk together, "You've been completely out of it for two days, we were getting worried that something had happened."

I blinked in confusion.

"Two whole days?" I repeated, "No wonder I feel so sluggish…just what happened during the experiment anyway?"

"From what I saw you just collapsed," Mikasa told me, "Captain Hange didn't really tell us much. She could be waiting to talk to you about the situation…it's almost lunchtime and we've only just finished with the morning training."

"Well I'm starving," I told her.

Mikasa only shook her head lightly as the two of us arrived in the mess hall. They were already a few people there enjoying their meals.

"Why you go find us a seat and I'll bring us lunch?" Mikasa asked placing a hand upon my shoulder.

I glanced at her, giving the girl a light smile.

"Sure," I told her, "thank you."

She gave me a light nod walked off. I stared off after her for a few moments taking in the sway of her hips for a few moments longer before shaking my head of the _thoughts_ that had infiltrated my brain in the few seconds that I watched her. Despite how I feel about Mikasa, there was no way she could feel the same for me…would she? Even thought part of me still lust after her despite keeping my feelings within myself, thought, some people had managed to see through it if Ymir's comment way back then was to be taken seriously.

I took a seat in an empty table looking out toward the window getting lost in thought again. Today was quite a nice day actually with the sun shining down from the sky and given everything that had happened these past few days with Rod Reiss, Historia's coronation, the thing with my father, a peaceful day like that almost feel like a dream but I knew it won't be long before we're thrown back into the saddle again to face the Titans now that we have a way to plug the hole in Shingashina District and retake Wall Maria. With Eren's new ability to harden his Titan into the strange crystal-like state, retaking the Wall seems plausible now…

But there is also a chance that we'll run into Reiner and Berthold as well…if they didn't die the last time, we saw them…

I feel my hand tighten into a fist as the sting of that betrayal was still there within me.

"Here," Mikasa spoke out having returned from her quest.

She placed a plate right in front of me and took a seat across me with her own plate. I smiled at her in thanks before picking up the piece of bread that was there, immediately tearing into my food. We stayed in a compatible silence for a few more moments before I looked up toward her.

"Where is Eren and the others?" I asked her.

"Eren is helping Hange on a new experiment," she said, "Armin had gone with them. Seems they have some ideas on how to use Eren's hardening ability. I wanted to stay behind and help you out if ever woke up."

I looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm surprised you wanted to stay behind," I told her, "You're not one to leave Eren's side at all. I'm sure half the regiment thinks you're his girlfriend or something."

Mikasa let out a small scoff.

"It's not like that," she started to explain, "Captain Levi has gone with them. I'm sure he'll be to reign in Hange's more…enthusiastic urges…beside you're an important friend to me and with what happened during your own experiment, I couldn't leave you like that."

I smiled lightly at her.

"You're much sweeter than you let on," I told her in a teasing tone.

Mikasa raised a hand to her face and thanks to how pale she was, I could see her reddening.

"But…I appreciate it," I continued more serious, "It's been a long time since someone had cared about me like that…ever since Narissa…"

I trailed off thinking about my old friend. How strange. It hadn't been so long that she died off and I don't even remember what color her eyes were. It made me feel like a horrible friend for not remembering something like that about her.

I shook the though from my head.

"But…even so, thank you."

She smiled, and since it wasn't hidden by the scarf she usually wears, it illuminated her entire face.

"Of course," she said, the red in her cheeks fading, "I'll always be there when you need me Sarah."

I didn't know what made me do it but I raised my hand forward and gently touched her pale cheek. The movement felt so natural to me that it was like I have been doing it for years. It was a strange feeling and Mikasa froze in her movement when I did so, her dark eyes widening lightly. Her skin was oddly soft beneath my fingers and I feel myself lazily smile at her.

"Always," I said softly.

"Sarah…what are you…?" Mikasa started.

I blinked, realizing what I was doing before instantly removing my hand from her cheek. I feel my face flaming with how much I was blushing.

"I'm sorry," I quickly said, "I don't know what came over me. I might still be not all there yet."

"It's okay," Mikasa said raising her hand lightly, "I'm not offended…you just took me by surprise."

I glanced at her. She didn't look that much offended, so she must be telling the truth somehow…thought I doubt that she would easily forget about it.

"There is something I have been wanting to ask you Sarah," Mikasa said after a while, "I wasn't sure how to bring it up…but this time seems to be as good as any."

"What is it?" I asked her.

Mikasa looked at me.

"Are you…into girls?"

I blinked.

"What?"

Her cheeks colored red again.

"It's just…something that Ymir said back when we were Cadets," she said, "I didn't really pay attention to anything she says…but I was just wondering…."

I let out a sigh.

"Alright, we're not having this conversation here. Let's go to the barracks, hopefully, it will be empty by now."

Mikasa nodded at me and the two of us left the hall behind and made for the building. Thankfully the girl's room were empty and I closed the door behind me, making my way toward where my bed was. Mikasa took a seat beside me and I turned toward her.

"Alright," I said, "What brought this up?"

Mikasa stayed silent for a moment, "Do you remember when Armin caught us in my room back in the Cabin."

I chuckled.

"Oh…yeah. His face looked as red as an apple," I told her, "Not sure I'm going to forget that anytime soon."

The dark-haired girl smiled briefly before continued to speak again.

"Ever since then…I don't know why," Mikasa continued, "But I've remembered Ymir's words from back then and I've been trying to think it through…I have been wanting to ask you about it however, there has never been the right time to ask."

I was kind of surprised at Mikasa asking me this to be honest. She never strikes me as the type of girl to wonder about romance at all. However, she was still a girl after all, and I would be surprised if she wasn't at least interested in things like that.

"Just for context," I said, "What did Ymir said exactly for you to ask me that."

Mikasa frowned lightly.

"She said that " _Sarah might like it to be under you, so why don't you ask her?_ ' "she said, "It was during our hand to hand combat training and I keep beating her to the ground so she said that to me…"

I feel my cheek warming at the words. It sounded exactly like something that girl would say given her crude sense of humor.

 _Ymir…you really are a piece of shit sometimes…_

"Right…," I said, "Well…to answer your question…yeah, I am."

I didn't meet her eyes as I was looking down at my hands but I can feel the girl beside me shift and from her knees touching my leg, she had turned to face toward me.

"How did you know…?"

I laughed lightly.

"I don't know really. It's not like I just woke up one day and realized that I only feel deep affection for girls…it was always there in the back of my mind. I probably was always like that even as a kid but then again…I didn't really have the best father figure growing up so that might have something to do with it."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Ymir was the same to Historia," I told her, "It was difficult to say whether they were a couple or not…thought given what happened between them, I'd say they were."

Mikasa didn't say anything for a while drawing my gaze toward her. She seemed to be thinking about something.

"It's nothing for you to think about too deeply," I told her, "Thought…you're not really weirded about by it right?"

Mikasa shook her head.

"No, we're friends."

I grinned at her before suddenly taking her into a hug, brining her close to me.

"Aww, you're so sweet Mimi," I told her.

Despite being stronger than I was, Mikasa didn't even fight me off at all. She seemed to be smiling lightly as amusement flashed within those dark obsidian orbs of hers.

"Mimi?" she repeated.

I grinned at her.

"That's my nickname for ya," I told her, "It sounds just as sweet as you are."

Mikasa looked down at me and it was then I realized just how close our faces were to each other. That lovely face of hers was devoid any scars safe for the one that was upon her left cheek and as she gazed at me, I met her eyes with my own, my lips still carrying the ghost of my grin. For the briefest second, I noticed that gaze lowering down to my lips before looking at me again and I found myself doing the same to her.

Amber met dark once more and it was a whole different atmosphere that settled between us, almost like we were back in that room before we saw Armin at the door. I don't know why but there was this sudden hunger within me, a hunger that was always there but, I had always denied but now it was back and burning within me to…taste her.

I can feel her breath against my skin, tasting it within my mouth which was lightly opened as the space between our face grew shorter and shorter…

There was the ghost of those velvet lips against my own…

Then the pressure of them and I feel myself closing my eyes, as the lips pressed against my own…

Then it broke.

I opened my eyes staring at her. Mikasa had her eyes wide with shock as she was staring at me, looking surprised at what she had just done. I stared back at her equally surprised at what had just happened, feeling the ghost of her lips against my own. It was less than five seconds and yet, that single contact seems to set my body aflame.

"Sarah I…," she started.

I raised both of my hands, taking hold her face within my palms. I met those dark eyes within my own as I stared at her, taking in how flushed her face look, and there was so much emotions behind her eyes that I feel as if my heart was about to burst from my chest…

"If you don't want to," I said, "Just say the word."

Mikasa didn't say anything as she gazed at me for a brief second and then her hands suddenly grabbed my shirt and yanked me forward. I let out a sudden yelp of surprise at the sudden powerful thug before her lips were upon my own once more. There was so much passion behind it that it caused a shot of desire to shoot within me and I eagerly returned the kiss, our lips working against each other as I was getting completely lost within the girl.

I didn't notice that she had pushed me back upon the bed and had crawled upon me, never breaking the connection of our lips together. Oh, how I never wanted this moment to end. I had wrapped my arms around her neck, holding her as close as I could despite our clothes still there.

 _I wanted to rip hers off._

The sudden need took me by surprise and Mikasa broke the kiss again as she pulled herself back, breathing heavily. She was there above me and as I was looking at her, I noticed that I was breathing just as heavily, the taste of her lips still upon my own. She stared down at me, those dark eyes searing into me like I was all that she could focus on at the moment.

She licked her lips, her eyes lowering down to my lips.

" _Mikasa_ ," I whispered, sounding almost needy from wanting to have her lips on my own again.

"Ymir was right," Mikasa said, "You _do like being under me."_

"Well…even she can be right once in a blue moon," I answered her, pulling myself upward leaning upon my elbows so that I could reach her.

Our noses brushed against each other.

"How long?" Mikasa asked me, her voice barely a whisper, "How long have you felt that way about me?"

"I should ask you the same thing," I answered her, our lips brushing each other's again.

Mikasa suddenly winced and I felt concern shoot through me. I let her fall down beside me as I stared at her.

"Are you okay?"

"Just an headache," she said.

I kissed her forehead.

"Maybe you got a little too excited," I told her in a teasing tone.

Mikasa didn't say anything but buried her nose into my shoulder. I was a little worried about her, as she was acting so unlike herself. I ran a hand through her hair hoping to sooth whatever pains she may be feeling.

"I'm sorry," she said, "My head…feel like it's about to explode."

"It's okay," I answered her, my tone soft, "Just lie here, and I'll watch over you, Promise."

"Okay," the dark-haired girl answered.

And that's how I spent the remainder of my day, just looking over the girl that I had found myself loving more than I ever thought possible.

* * *

I woke up blinking, confused as to where I was for a moment before realizing that I was in the barracks. I pulled myself up and then turned my attention toward my bedmate. Mikasa Ackerman was breathing softly as she was sleeping beside me, still fully dressed in her uniform thought her outfit looked a little wrinkled but other than that, she was peacefully sleeping.

I guess whatever headache she was having must have passed. A strange jolt surged through my chest as I looked at her, remembering the kiss that we shared. I find it hard to believe that Mikasa would have feelings for me. I mean we had become friends during our Cadet days but other than that, I never felt like it was more…

Eren was always the one that was in my eyes, Mikasa's whole world given how close the two were and for her to do this with me…

 _Maybe my feelings weren't one sided as I expected,_ I thought.

The door of the barracks opened drawing my gaze toward it and I found the familiar form of Sasha approaching toward where I was.

"There you are Sarah," she greeted with a grin, "I thought that…"

I made a shushing motion with my fingers. Sasha instantly stopped talking placing both of her palms upon her lips her eyes wide.

"Keep your voice down," I told her in a low tone.

Sasha approached toward where I was, her eyes was quick to find the slumbering Mikasa that was beside me. the girl gave me a confused glance for a moment before she removed her hands.

"Captain Levi was looking for you," he said, "said that he needs to see you immediately now that you're awake."

I nodded at her.

"Understood," I told her.

Sasha nodded giving the sleeping girl a glance.

"So…why is she sleeping in your bed?"

I stepped off the bed and started pushing the girl out of the barracks.

"Hey…wait,"

"I'll see you later Sasha," I told her.

"But…But…," the brown-haired girl started to said however I let her out of the room and closing the door behind her before she could argue about my answer to her. I let out a sigh leaning against the door for few moments.

"Sarah?"

Mikasa was awake and she was rubbing her eyes as her voice was still heavy with sleep.

"Hey," I told her walking toward the bed once more, "You're feeling okay?"

Mikasa placed a hand upon her forehead.

"It's passed," she said.

"You need to take better care of yourself you know," I told her with a light smile, "But, I should get dressed. Captain Levi is waiting for me and I have a feeling he'll want to talk about what had happened during the experiment."

Mikasa nodded.

"I'll join you," she said, "Just let me wash my face."

I nodded at her as she went out of bed, however I caught her by the hand as she passed. She glanced at me but I only gave her a light peck upon her lips. Mikasa blinked for a few moments at the quick kiss, her cheeks taking a light red hue.

"What was that for?" she asked, tilting her head lightly.

"For luck," I answered, a light grin upon my lips.

She shook her head thought, I could see the trace of the grin upon her lips since she didn't have her scarf around her neck, having removed it before she went to sleep. It didn't take us long before we left the room, making our way toward the Captain's office. He was looking at some reports when the two of us entered inside the room and he looked up at us, narrowing his eyes lightly.

"Well, I didn't ask for you Ackerman," he said, "But it might be better if you're here."

"You wanted to see me sir?" I asked him.

"Yes," the man said, "How would you like to take a trip with me to the Capital?"

I blinked in confusion.

"The Capital sir?"

The man stared at me.

"I'm sure you remember me mentioning that I knew someone by the name of Ashler," he told me, "Given how little we know about your Titan, it thinks it's about time we go and give him a visit."

I remember him mentioning that he knew someone by the name of Ashler before. I stared at the man shocked that he even knew about all of that but I smiled as well.

"Of course, sir," I answered.

"Good," the man said, "Get your cloak and your gears, you and Ackerman are coming with me to the Underground District."

* * *

 **A new trip planned by Levi toward the Underground District.**

 **Next Time:** Ashler

 **Hope you have enjoyed that MikasaxSarah moment that happened...**

 **R &R**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	51. Ashler

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this story. Sorry it took so long to update, life suddenly got really busy all of a sudden and with a writer's block hiting...yeah...i knew what i wanted to write but the words just weren't coming...**

 **Anyway, here is this chapter...FINALLY.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A view of the Underground District

Chapter Fifty-One

Ashler

Dressed in my military uniform along with a green cloak, I was seating inside the carriage with Captain Levi and Mikasa. It was mostly silent during the travel time we were in there as we were approaching Wall Sina in the distance. I leaned my head lightly toward the window looking out at the approaching Wall before turning my gaze toward the man across us.

"I have been meaning to ask Captain," I spoke out drawing his attention, "How will we find this Ashler in the Underground District? I know that it's not the safest place to live in given the level of the crime rates that happened down there."

Levi seems surprised.

"You know about the Underground District?"

"I know it was part of an expansion program for the elite to take refuge," I answered, "But were overtaken by crime and abandoned."

"I never said it was the best place to live," Levi answered, "however, given what happened to the Ashler being wiped out, it's the best place to hide if you're running from the law. However, there is something you need to know about the place. You may be soldiers but don't talk to anyone down there, considering your genders, there is a chance that someone will make a pass at either of you."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Sound like a charming place," I said, rolling my eyes.

Levi didn't say anything as he turned his gaze back toward the outside.

"How do we know that this guy is even still alive at this point?" Mikasa asked.

"We don't," he answered, "But so far, he is the only lead we have about knowing exactly who this Elza person that Sarah wrote about. It's not much to go on but I think that having Sarah here and in possession of the Titan ability, he might be more willing to speak with us."

He glanced at me again.

"Speaking of which…do you have any idea who that Elza name belongs to?"

"I'd be lying if a said that I did," I answered him, "But I don't know why, I feel like I should know who it belongs to…like it's on the tip of my tongue and it's refusing to come out."

Levi stayed silent for a moment.

"The Scouts were aware of your existence for quite a while you know," he said.

Mikasa and I glanced up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Two years before Wall Maria fell," Levi spoke out, "We went out on an Expedition….and like everything else, it turns to shit very soon. A swarm of Titans completely overtake the Command squad and most soldiers were dead before they could pick up a fight. Then, this Titan came out of nowhere and killed the others…given the rains and fog, it was hard to make out…but the reports said it was a Female Titan with gray skin…"

He glanced toward me.

"We chalked it up as an Abnormal and that was that…but then Trost happened and Eren's Titan did the same thing," he spoke, "That's how Erwin knew that whoever the Gray Titan was, was probably someone like him."

I stared at him surprised.

"That's how the Commander knew there was a spy within our ranks?" I asked.

"It was part of it but yeah," Levi spoke out.

"Then there is a chance that Ashler know the truth about the world as well," I said.

"There is a possibility," Levi said, "And that's why you're here Sarah. We're going to need you to convince him to tell us the truth…and with you holding the Titan, he'll be more inclined to talk."

I nodded at him.

The carriage came to a stop and Captain Levi stepped out. Mikasa and I followed after him as we have found ourselves in front of what was a long stairway that descended toward the darkness in front of me. I blinked lightly at the area before turning my gaze toward him.

"This is one of the entrances of the Underground District," Levi said, "Come on."

He walked down the steps and after exchanging glances with Mikasa, the two of us followed after him leaving the sunlight behind as we stepped down into darkness as well. The way was light up with torches which burned quite brightly as we passed intervals between the stairs. The building was like an archway of stone above us as I glanced around it before reaching the end of the road finding two peoples there.

They were dressed in civilian clothing but I can see them watching us as we passed them by. They didn't try to stop us at all from where they were standing and I can feel their gaze upon our backs as we passed them, aiming straight down toward the deeper levels.

"Who were those guys?" Mikasa asked.

"They're toll takers," Levi said, "Visitors need to pay to enter and pay to leave. The prices always change given the situation but given that we're military, they won't interfere with our business…thought it also put a target upon our back."

"Why didn't we go in civilian clothing?" I asked him, "That would have been a good way to not drawn attention."

"No matter how we go down there, we will always draw attention," he said, "After all you and Ackerman are women. They would always target the two of you. However, as soldiers, they'll probably think twice before getting in our way."

I swallowed.

Getting attacked because of our sex was not something I really confront as a soldier. Sure, they were the occasional flirts from our class but given what we do, not many people ever tried to do anything to any of us when we were above ground. However, here in the Underground, it would seem that was something very different world.

"So, keep our guards up then," I said, "Alright. Got it."

We finally reached the floor and went down another curving hallway which had large windowless open given way toward the extending city beside us. I stared out toward it, surprised at how large it really was. It must be easily the size of Mitras given how it expended into the horizon. The style was more like Mitras with the occasional towers in the distance and there were even stone pillars rising into the ceiling above the city and there light as far as the eye can see.

"It's all light up," Mikasa said, not keeping the surprise from her tone.

"The sunlight never reaches down here," Levi said, "The people who lives down here have never seen the light of day. They are born, live and died in this darkness having never experienced the sunlight upon their skin."

That was actually kind of sad to think about. Having always lived with the sun and the sky above me, it had never occurred to me that there would be people who have never experienced the sunlight at all or even seen the moonlight, and the stars. I feel my heart clench lightly at the thought of living like that, having never knowing things that I took for granted my entire life.

I guess these people had their own walls.

We continued through the streets passing some peoples who gives us some glances but they never looked on long. Given what Levi had said earlier, I keep my guard up as I glanced around keeping a look-out for anyone suspicious however, everyone I see looked suspicious. Mikasa was as quiet as a shadow beside me, her dark eyes roaming the area around us.

"See anything suspicious?" I whispered to her.

"If you mean everything around us," Mikasa answered her voice low, "Then yeah…"

We continued through the street for a few more minutes before the Captain came to a stop in front of us. I looked at him surprised at why he had stopped but then my attention was drawn toward where he was looking at. A building stood in front of us and from the music playing from inside, it must be some sort of bar or something.

"This place is still here," Levi mused softly, "I wonder…"

He trailed off for a moment before glancing at us.

"Come on," he said, "I might have found a way to find who we're looking for."

We followed him inside the establishment. The smell of smoke and cigar was heavy in the air as well as the smell of alcohol. They were ruckus laughter going on around us as the place looked to be somewhat packed. When we entered, we drew some attentions but some of the patrons were still going on about their business of drinking as well. They were also many women in the place, as they were serving drinks and whatnots and there was even a woman on her knees with her face in a man's lap…

I quickly turned away, no wanting to stare to long.

"Captain, what kind of place is this?" I asked the short man in front of us.

"It's a whorehouse slash bar," the man answered giving us a sideway glance, "Stay close, these guys can get handsy with girls…especially the younger ones."

"You didn't see the need to tell us that before?" Mikasa asked, her eyes narrowing.

"I did tell you what type of place the Underground was," the man answered.

We reached the counter were a skinny man was seating. He looked up at our approach and a grin crossed his face as he noticed both me and Mikasa and the way he was looking at us made my skin crawl.

"Well well," he started, "A fine piece of merchandise you brought here. I'm sure they'll fetch for quite a pretty hefty sum…and she is quite an exotic one."

He was leering at Mikasa when he said that.

"They're not for sale Mic," Levi said.

The man seems surprised at his name being said as he stared at the Captain for a few moments before a glint of recognition appeared in his pale gray eyes.

"Levi?" he said shocked, "And here I was thinking that you were dead…your part of the military now. Never took you as someone who like to be the government toy."

"And you're still as disgusting as ever," the man answered, "Still lusting after girls barely half your age."

"I like 'em young," Mic grinned, "stretching their hole for the first time is always my greatest pleasure in my life and from what I can see, you have two youngons that need to have that happens to them. I'll be happy to give them an education."

"I'm here for Old Ash," Levi said, ignoring the comment thought it made my anger boil in disgust at Mic, "I know he used to drink here back in the day. Does he still come here?"

"Old Ash?" Mic repeated, frowning, "That old sack of shit? Sure, he still comes around sometimes. Only pays for drinks these days no matter how many of the girls like him….I'm sure he likes to keep things close to the chest given the rumors about him."

Levi didn't say anything.

"So, he is still alive then," he said, "Thanks for the info."

"Levi, c'mon," Mic said, "Hang around for a while, for old time sake. Have a drink and tell me all about what you've been doing in the military. News don't travel this far in the place and maybe you and I can come in on a agreement about your two companions."

Levi moved and took hold of his face before slamming it down into the counter in front of him. Mic let out a yell of pain as blood sprayed from his nose and mouth.

"What the fuck," he yelled.

"These two girls are my subordinates," Levi spoke his tone cold, "I'm sure you remember what Farlan did to you when you made move on Isabel. Consider this a reminder…let's go."

With that he turned around and wordlessly, Mikasa and I followed after the man, thought I can't help but feel a thrill of vengeance through me at what happened to that old pervert. We made our way out of the establishment and Mikasa had a disgusted expression upon her features.

"Hey you're okay?"

"I feel like I need a shower after this," the dark-haired girl answered simply.

"I know the feeling," I answered her.

Mikasa gave me one of those small smiles of hers as we followed the Captain down the street through a number of corridors and finally, they came across a small home that seats on the edge of the city the foot of a small hill. It looked modest to anyone else and there was a light visible coming from inside the home.

"He lives here?" Mikasa asked not keeping the surprise from her voice.

"He lives here for as long as I remember," Levi answered.

"How did you know him anyway?"

"…A friend of mine did," Levi answered simply before approaching the door and knocking upon it.

They waited for a while but there was the sound of movement form within the room and then sooner or later, the door opened. A man with long gray hair was standing at the entrance of the room. He was wearing a dirty long-sleeved shirt with pants and boots on, leaning heavily against a walking stick he had with him. The man eyes were the same shade as my own, a bright amber color that stared out toward the three of us. I was hit with some familiarity, like I should know who this man is but I don't.

"Who're you?" he growled.

"Old Ash," Levi said, "I'm Levi, a friend of Farlan…"

Old Ash frowned lightly at the name, but there was recognition within his eyes at the name.

"Levi?" he repeated, "I recognize your name. Farlan said you were the leader of that Triad Gang of yours…recruiting a little young?"

His gaze roamed over Mikasa and I, a light curiosity within them.

"We're part of the Military," Levi said, "Survey Corps. There has been a development and the name of your family came up. I wanted to speak with you about it in greater details if you don't mind."

Old Ash looked at Levi for a moment before his gaze returned toward me. There was suspicion within his gaze as he stepped out of the way leaving the way inside open for us. The three of us entered the room and he closed the door behind us.

The house was small with a single table and chair by the fireplace and through another doorway was an old looking bed and some other clothing thrown upon it. There was a light scent of musk in the air as well as Old Ash made his way straight toward the only chair in the room and taking a seat upon it.

"Wasn't expecting company," he said, "So there is nothing to drink…unless you want some alcohol."

"That's not necessary," Levi said, "Are you aware of how things are at the moment with the monarchy?"

"I've heard the rumors," Old Ash answered, "So they are true then? You dethroned the False King?"

"We also know the truth of what they were hiding from us," I spoke out drawing Old Ash's attention to him, "The truth about the Walls, and the truth about the Titan they hold."

Old Ash stared at me, "The Founding Titan is no longer under Fritz's control?"

"No…it's not."

A sudden savage grin appeared upon Old Ash's face, revealing yellowed teeth. There was such hatred within his features that it shocked me at the pure violence that was in his gaze…but that was how I found myself recognized him as the memory of the same expression was upon a much younger face with blond hair…

"So, the false Prophet finally falls," he laughed, "Fritz was so sure of his power, so sure he could contain humanity within these walls. He should have known that sooner or later, they would break free, after all, you can never contain human curiosity…"

"Jura," I said simply.

The man instantly looked at me, his eyes going wide. Levi and Mikasa gave me curious looks but all my attention was upon the old man across me, and the shocked expression that was upon his aged features. Old Ash was white in the face as he was staring at me, almost like he was seeing a ghost of his past.

"How do you know that name?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.

I stared at him and yet it was like someone else was speaking using my voice.

"Because that's your name…Jura Ashler."

Everyone in the room was staring at me but none of them had the astonished looks of Old Ash had upon his own old face. Then I noticed the scrutiny within that gaze as if he was taking me in for the first time since I entered inside his home. He stood up from where he was seating, leaning heavily upon his staff as he stood up and advanced toward me until he was standing right in front of me, taller than I was. His eyes roamed every inch of my face as if searching for something.

"What's your name girl?" he asked, his voice somber.

"Sarah," I told him, "Sarah Ashler."

His eyes widened at the name, recognition flashing within his gaze.

"Sarah," he whispered, testing the name.

His gaze went toward the dark-haired girl.

"Mikasa," he said.

Mikasa was surprised as well as Levi.

"How do you know her name?" Levi asked.

"Sarah and Mikasa," Old Ash said, almost in disbelief, "Then…does this mean…you carry it? The Titan we've inherited from Anja?"

 _Anja Ashler…the wife of King's Fritz's brother._

"I do."

Old Ash shook his head, almost like he couldn't believe it.

"The name Elza came up during one of our experiments," I continued looking at the older man, "I was wondering if you can share some information about her to us. I…I have never known my mother's side of the family, and aunt Maria never said anything…you're the last person that we managed to find that knowns anything about the Ashler and about my Gray Titan."

Old Ash looked at me, a light frown upon his features.

"I can understand the secrecy," he said, "If what happened to the Ashler was any indication, keeping everything as close to chest as possible was the only way they could have survived. I don't know everything there is to know about my own family to tell you the truth but there is someone else that might be able to tell you."

The man walked past the table aiming straight toward the bedroom seemingly searching for something and when he had found what he was looking for, Old Ash returned toward us holding upon a small book in his hand. He placed it down on the table in front of me.

I looked down at the name and I read ELZA ASHLER written upon it.

"This is…?"

"That was her diary," Old Ash answered, "She gave it to me on the last day I saw her alive and that day, she told me something very strange…I didn't really took it into consideration but…given your name and you having the power…maybe she saw this happening."

"And what exactly did she tell you?"

"She said that Sarah and Mikasa will come looking for it," Old Ash said, "And when they do, give it them."

Levi was surprised and Mikasa and I shared a look.

"How did she know we will be here?" Mikasa asked.

"I don't know," Old Ash answered, "what the Titan could truly do is unknown to anyone except our ancestor, Anja but she took that secret to the grave with her…my family had spent many generations trying to unlock it but all that it did was drive them to madness."

Suddenly the memory of what I've read about the Ashler family returned to mind.

 _A strand of madness had always followed the Ashler family…_

"The path must connect," I whispered looking at the diary in my hands.

"That's right," Old Ash answered giving me a look almost as if he understood where the phrase came from, "I don't know why that's important and I had my own thoughts on the subject but nothing concrete."

"What are your thoughts exactly?" Levi asked.

"There is something about our Titan that is different," the man said, "Different than anything we know and our ancestor seems to think that it was worth keeping it a secret from everyone. I won't tell you to not look for it but be wary, madness is like an open wound…and once it's open, you'll never be able to close it again."

I stared at Old Ash again and I knew he had addressed that last one to me. I nodded at him.

"I understand," I told him, "And thank you."

Old Ash simply smiled.

"We're family," he said, "Thought distantly related, you carry our family's burden…it's the least I could do."

* * *

 **Jura Ashler gave them the diary of Elza...what secrets does it holds?**

 **Next Time:** Elza Ashler

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	52. Elza Ashler

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway read on.**

 **Chapter Cover:** The small book with ELZA ASHLER written upon it.

Chapter Fifty-Two

Elza Ashler

Commander Erwin was looking at the small diary that was in front of him. It was nighttime again as the man was looking up toward me who was across him. Captain Levi along with Hange were there as well as the two were seating side by side, thought Levi had a cup of tea in his hands. We were just finishing telling the Commander about what we had found about the Ashler and finally revealing who the mysterious Elza was from the name that I had written during the strange test that had happened.

"Your investigation checked out," Erwin said as he had his one arm upon the table, "then the man Old Ash is part of the Ashler bloodline."

"He alluded that something had happened to the family but he wasn't very forthcoming about what it was," Levi said, "but given what happened with the Reiss family recently and the Interior Squad, I think we have a pretty good idea as to what happened to them."

Hange gave me a sideway glance.

"Did he tell you anything about this Elza?" she asked, "Who she was?"

I looked down at the book in front of me.

 _Flashback_

 _Old Ash was seating at the table again as he was looking at the diary in front of him._

" _Elza…she was my step sister," he said, "after my father had inherited the Titan, he married again one of the Orient women. They were of a different race than those who lived within the Walls…kind of like how your friend look."_

 _His gaze fell upon Mikasa, "Now that I think about it, you look a lot like her, dark hair dark eyes pale skin…"_

 _Mikasa tilted her head lightly._

" _We were children when we first met," Old Ash continued, "But I didn't think much of her back then. She was a quiet child and my sister, Irma was the one who she was close to as she didn't spent as much time with me or me her…but we were still amicable…as well as half-siblings could be at any rate."_

 _I looked at the man with a light frown._

" _Irma was your sister?"_

 _A flash of something appeared upon Old Ash's face. It was like he was remembering something that was painful for him, but it didn't linger long for the something that was upon his face retreated back into the shadows. His golden eyes looked at me, taking me in._

" _Yes," he said, "She was the one who inherited the Titan power after our father…Originally, it was supposed to be me who had that power. I desired to have that power back then, and I thought that maybe if I had it, I could have helped us get out from under the foot of the Titans that were beyond the Walls, but…at the last moment, my father chose her instead of me…I was angry and feeling betrayed by it so I left the house then, and didn't come back till I was a man with my own wife and child…however, despite I had left her behind, Elza stayed by her side and it made me wonder how close the two really were…even in the five years we were separated…"_

 _Old Ash shook his head._

" _I'd like to think that I knew my siblings," he said, "But maybe…after all this time, I never knew them at all."_

" _You've never read the diary?" Levi asked glancing at the book._

 _Old Ash looked at the book._

" _I wanted to," he said, "But…I was ashamed of what my actions had done to our family. Elza told me that you would come for it and maybe, when you finally know what's in these pages, and saw me through their eyes you would make your mind up about whether I should know about it or not."_

 _End of flashback_

When I was done speaking, Hange let out a soft hum.

"Then he didn't know as much as we hoped he would," the young woman said, "But the book is there and maybe when we read it, we will finally know exactly what had happened to the Ashler family and who this mysterious Elza Ashler is."

Erwin looked at me.

"Based on what you told us," he said, "This was supposed to be given to you…you should be the one to read it."

I glanced at the man for a brief moment before turning my gaze down at the book in front of me. I reached out toward it and picked the small diary up. It was a leather bound and the familiar weight against my hand was very light. I chanced a glance toward the name that was handwritten upon the cover for a brief moment before opening it. The pages were yellowed by ages but something fell out of it as soon as I had opened it, falling upon my lap.

I quickly picked it up, noticing that it was a folded piece of paper that someone had placed within the dairy. I stared at for a few moments, and then picked it up. I placed the dairy back on my lap and fully unfolded the paper completely taking in what was written upon it and seeing the words caused my blood to chill.

It was a letter…addressed to me.

 _To Sarah Ashler,_

 _I don't know who you are, nor when you are but I do know that one day you will be reading this. Irma had never been wrong about something like this and looking into her eyes as she told me of this, I found myself believing it…believing her._

 _You and I have never met each other physically, but I talked to you once…I doubt you would remember it and Irma surely didn't. There is something about you that Irma believe is important and that my story will help you in the coming years…_

 _Always remember Sarah Ashler, the paths must connect. Even if you ever found yourself forgetting who you are…always remember those words._

 _Elza Ashler._

"What is it?" Hange asked.

"It's a letter addressed to me?" I told her, "Written by Elza Ashler."

"How is that possible?" Erwin asked, "She'd been dead for years."

I shook my head, feeling as puzzled as the Commander looked.

"Can I see that letter?" Hange asked.

I gave it to her and she read through the words quickly, her eyes zooming from right to left across the page in her hand.

"Huh…," she said, "Well this is certainly interesting. She said here that she talked to you once…do you have any memories of that happening?"

I shook my head.

"None of it," I told her, "I have no memory of that at all."

"From the way this letter is written," Hange said, "She almost sound like she knows you…how strange. Considering she lived over fifty years ago…there is no way she could have known you at all."

"Maybe that diary of hers would have some answers," Levi said, "That's the entire reason why we're here after all."

"Right," I said looking at the dairy in my lap.

I opened it again, staring at the yellowish pages, turning it over finding the words that were written upon it. They were written in the same handwriting as the letter meaning that Elza was the one who wrote these entries over the years she had lived with the Ashler when her mother married into it.

 _August 15, X791_

 _Mother told me that she was getting married again. I knew she was seeing a man. Lesly Ashler the lord that lives in the Northern region of Wall Rose. He visited our home many times before. He was a kind man but his eyes were like a soft amber, like sunset and his skin was also oddly pale, and black hair. I don't remember my father much…and mother almost never talked about him but I can see in her eyes. The man had been dead for many years._

 _I don't like that she is getting married to a lord. The Lords never accepted my people the Orient and I know some of our brethren are getting persecuted in the cities…_

 _I hate them all._

 _August 20,_

 _Mother took me to the Ashler home today to meet with her new fiancée's family. The house was big, almost twice as big as our modest home and they even had servants working in the place. The room I am staying is ridiculously big. It makes me feel really small._

 _The lord had two children already around my age. I saw them earlier but don't really remember their names but they looked just like their father. Pale skin, same amber eyes, dark hair._

 _They looked like dolls…even their smiles were fake._

 _Mother said that we'd be staying with them a while. I think she hope that I will make friends with them…fat chance of that happening._

 _August 25,_

 _The daughter…Irma had been trying to talk to me but I didn't like her at all. I already didn't like the looks the servants give me or my mother…like I was a dirty rat in their pristine home. I can hear their whispers when they think I couldn't hear them._

 _Why is my mother marrying that man? How am I ever going to live here with this place. The doll daughter tried to talk to me today and I yelled at her._

 _I think I hurt her feelings, but I don't care._

 _I hate this place…I hate how perfect it looks._

 _September 2,_

 _Mother was angry at me and ordered me to apologize. We had an argument today…in my room. I hated to disappoint her so I did as she asked, and went to apologize to the doll daughter._

 _She didn't seem mad at me at all and even hugged me for accepting her friendship._

 _She even kissed my forehead like she was older than I was._

 _We're the same age…_

 _Weird girl._

 _January 23, X792_

 _Something strange is happening to Lord Lesly._

 _I heard the servants talking about it when I stayed in Irma's room. Irma won't tell me what's going on but I can feel that a weird atmosphere had settled within the house. Mother was pale in the face a few days ago._

 _She wouldn't tell me what's going on but I am worried._

 _January 29,_

 _Jura was angry today._

 _He had a yelling match with my step-father. I didn't know what they were talking about but from what I've heard, he thinks he should be the one to inherit something but whatever it was, Lesly didn't change his decision at all._

 _Jura was not something I talk a lot with since he is always hanging out with the Reiss boys. Friends since they were children Irma once said as their family shared a close relationship. They were like cousins she called them, but I don't see the family resemblance at all between them. The Reiss looked like everyone else in the Walls but the Ashler, my new family looked like a different race similar to the Orients…to me…_

 _I guess I can understand why Mother was attached to Lord Lesly. They were both from a different race than the majority of the people within the Walls._

 _Outcasts stick together right?_

 _February 5,_

 _Lord Lesly is becoming even more odd. I was finishing my diner when I found him seating on the couch seemingly talking to himself. He was having a conversation with someone that wasn't even there and seeing that bright eyed look in his gaze was frightening. He didn't even seem to notice my presence at all even when I was just three feet away from him._

 _I heard a rumors about my new family…about a strand of madness that follows it._

 _I hope Irma isn't sick like him. I wouldn't want to see my friend having such a look in her face._

 _I don't want to see her like that._

 _February 7,_

 _Told Mother about what happened with Lord Lesly. She dismissed it as stress from work but I can see fear within her gaze._

 _I talked to Irma about it, but she simply took me into a hug and help me close to her. She didn't seem to be worried about her father who seemingly was falling deeper and deeper into madness._

 _Just what is wrong with these people?_

 _Did anyone of them cared?_

 _March 12,_

 _Lord Lesly seems to have gotten better._

 _I hope it last._

 _Irma didn't seem to think the same. Ever since Jura left, she seems closed off somehow, but she always smiles brightly to me. I hope she never loses that smile._

 _June 3,_

 _Irma…kissed me the other day._

 _We were spending the afternoon together by the river as we always do and she just kissed me on the lips out of nowhere. She played it off as a harmless prank to get me out of my depressive state…but I don't think so…you don't kiss your sister just to get a rise out of her._

 _Well…step-sisters but still…it's wrong._

 _Why would she do that?_

 _July 4,_

 _It was my birthday today. Irma got me a horse. I knew there was a reason she has been teaching me to ride these past few days. She told me she was doing it as an apology for the kiss we shared. We almost never brings it up again but I could feel it hanging over our heads like a noose._

 _I told her I didn't hold it over her and she smiled so brightly that it was like looking at the sun._

 _I never realized how beautiful she was…I always called her a doll but now looking at her, she really was a doll._

 _A beautiful doll that I wouldn't mind sharing a kiss with._

 _I'm disgusting…lusting after my own sister._

 _July 15,_

 _I shouldn't have done it._

 _I shouldn't have done this…_

 _I'm the worst._

 _July 17,_

 _I can't talk to anyone about this. I still can't believe what I have done…I hadn't meant to do it but…it was just there and I did. I kissed Irma like one would kiss a lover._

 _I am disgusted with myself…I shouldn't have done it._

 _I won't be surprised if Irma told her father about it or told Mom about it…she had been distant these past few days…I lost her._

 _I lost her._

 _August 5,_

 _Lord Lesly had died._

 _They had a funeral for him…closed casket. Irma didn't attend for she was sick that day. Mother was crying softly and Jura didn't even show up. I feel like there is something broken about my new family._

 _Or maybe they were always broken…and I just didn't see it until now._

 _November 12,_

 _Irma's been odd since father's death. She seems so far away most of the time. I still talk to her but it was like she had become a completely different person. She sometimes talk to herself, like Lesly used to do._

 _Is she falling to that same madness take took her father?_

 _December 7,_

 _Irma was back to normal…I think. She said that it was grief that caused her to act strange._

 _I didn't care about the reason…I was just glad that my sister was back._

 _The sister I loved._

 _December 13,_

 _Irma and I kissed a lot last night._

 _She said she wanted to have a sleep over like we used to do last year and I agreed. I didn't realize we would have spent most of the night kissing and caressing each other…_

 _We're step sisters, so it shouldn't be like this at all…_

 _But I can't find it in my heart to care._

 _March, 3 X793_

 _Irma had an episode again._

 _They were becoming more frequent lately. She seems to be getting sick a lot these days and I wasn't allowed to see her at all. I should focus on my studies I know that, but I'm just worried about her._

 _I don't want anything to happen to her._

 _Mother was taking care of her right now…maybe I should sneak into her room later tonight?_

 _June 16,_

 _I can't…believe it._

 _Irma wanted to talk to me and we rode our horses to the Wall. I have never been that close to them but seeing how tall they were made me feel so small. Thanks to the Garrison there, we managed to get to the top of the Wall. It was so high that I felt sick. Irma was there to steady me and she told me a story about her family._

 _She told me the truth about the Walls…that they were made out of Titans…the same monsters that roamed outside of them. I didn't want to believe it but she cut off one of her fingers…there was so much blood but then right in front of my eyes, it healed up hissing like boiling water…it grew back…_

 _She told me that the Episodes she was having wasn't because she was sick…it was because she was experiencing memories. I didn't understand what she was talking about. I told her I didn't care about any of that…that I just wanted to have her back like she was before._

 _She seemed so sad when I asked her that and the kiss, we shared on top of the Wall was how we fell in love. I knew she was my step-sister, I knew how bad it looked to anyone else outside of our family._

 _I just didn't care._

 _I loved her…maybe I always did._

 _June 22,_

 _The basement beneath our home was where Irma took me next. It was a crystal cavern made out of glowing towers and walls. It was as large as a field and she took me toward an elevated platform and told me that's where she killed her father to inherit the Powers of the Titans from him._

 _That's also where she showed me her Titan for the first time. I remember how terrifying it was seeing the large female form towering above me. I always heard horrifying stories about the Titans and seeing the Surveys Corps returning from their expeditions broken and bloodied painted a picture very vividly in my mind._

 _Yet when I looked at her, snow white hair, grayish skin…seeing Irma's features upon the giantess…_

 _I had never seen anything so beautiful…_

 _In our room later when I asked her why she showed me all of this, Irma only said that she trusted me and that we're family…_

 _April 15, X794_

 _Irma had an episode again…she called herself "Sarah"._

 _I wonder if there was a Sarah in the family before her._

I feel my eyes widen lightly at seeing my name written upon the paper. I looked at the people around me and I can see the interest in Erwin's eyes, the glint that was in Hange's features and even Levi was paying attention. We were starting to get close to how Elza knew mine and Mikasa's name.

 _May 3,_

 _Sarah was there again in another Episode of Irma. I talked to this "Sarah". She didn't seems to know who I was but she didn't share anything about herself at all only said "Not yet". I feel like I am been pulled forward by a string in the darkness with her._

 _I talked to Irma about it. We researched her family tree but there has been no women named Sarah within it. Irma had that look in her eyes at the realization we've had in the library. It was the same look I saw in her father's face so long ago now…_

 _That madness that gleamed within them._

 _She had given me specific questions to ask this "Sarah" if she managed to reappear again._

 _I want to help her, I truly do, but I'm also afraid of losing her to that same madness our family suffered._

 _October 12,_

 _No "Sarah" for nearly six months._

 _Irma is frustrated. She doesn't say it, but I can see it in her eyes._

 _Personally, I'm glad that she didn't appear again._

 _January 5, X795_

" _Mikasa"_

 _That's what she called me when we were underneath the tree that day. I told her that wasn't my name and I saw confusion within Irma's gaze. But I knew it wasn't Irma that was behind that confused amber gaze._

" _Sarah" had returned and she knew a "Mikasa"._

 _I didn't mention it to Irma. I'd rather she forgot "Sarah" ever existed._

 _I just wish they'd leave her alone whoever these two women were._

* * *

 **An odd mystery deepens...**

 **Next Time:** Madness

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	53. Madness

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this fic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Enjoy this one.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A butterfly within a jar.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Madness

Levi placed his cup upon the table with a light frown upon his features. The diary was upon my lap as I was staring at the words that were written upon it. There was no way that this was possible, what I have just read and yet, the words on the paper didn't change at all…what I was seeing written right in front of me in Elza Ashler's handwriting.

Seeing my name along with "Mikasa" written upon a paper long before either of us were even born was quite…surreal. I glanced up toward the group in front of me. Erwin had a frown upon his features as he was seemingly thinking and Hange had an astonished look upon her face as her eyes were wide behind the glasses she wore.

"I knew we were going to stumble upon it eventually but to actually see it written there," she said, "I can't even understand how something like that is even possible. How could Elza have known your names long before you were even born it makes no sense."

"I find myself puzzled about this fact as well," Erwin said, "With everything we know about Eren and his Titan ability, the few memories he had were of his father as far as he know and whatever he was involved in when he encountered the Reiss family…"

"It could be the Titan ability," I suggested looking at them.

Hange glanced at me.

"Even as a Titan ability that is stretching it," she said, "You don't know how to use it currently and yet, as we are reading through Elza's journal, it could be that it was the Irma who was using it somehow…but even so, you were not even born yet…there is no way that she could have had access to your memories…"

"Over a fifty years time gap?" Levi asked raising his eyebrows.

"There is still too little we know about the situation at it is," Erwin spoke out, "The only connection I am seeing between Sarah and this Irma is that they are both Carrier of the Titan…Let's reserve our judgment for later once we have finished reading Elza's journal."

Levi nodded giving me a glance.

"So where did we left of?" he asked.

I glanced down at the diary once more.

 _February 10,_

 _I didn't mention Sarah's reappearance to Irma. I don't like to keep secrets from her but this is one that I am going to keep to myself. Irma was somehow convinced that Sarah was somehow important but I didn't have that same feeling within me as she spent hours researching about the family history._

 _I don't like seeing her like that…so obsessed about this Sarah…_

 _It made me wish for simpler time again when I first met her._

 _March 4,_

 _Irma was starting to act strange again. I can hear the servants whispering about it. The butler, Don, said that he found her in the living room seemingly talking to herself. I didn't want to believe him but I found Irma in her room looking out toward the window and she was humming a song to herself._

 _When I asked her what song it was, she said that it was a song that she heard in a dream she had._

 _She doesn't act differently with me but I decided to keep an close eye upon her. I don't want her to start acting like step-father did._

 _March 21,_

 _Irma woke up screaming from a nightmare a few days ago. I don't think I have ever seen her so frightened before. She was shaking as I held her and she was mumbling about "Titans destroying the Walls" and other things. I told her that it was only a dream and that the Titan will never be able to do something like that._

 _God I wish I could take away all her worries._

 _I just wish I could help in some way._

 _April 5,_

 _Mom said that she wants me to marry. I was about to turn nineteen and already she wanted to talk to me about marrying someone. I think she is starting to get lonely since step-father died…or eaten by Irma. I don't want to think about it and it makes me wonder if she knew what she was getting into when she married Lesly Ashler._

 _I don't want to marry anyone after all, I already have my lover at my side._

 _May 2,_

 _The last few days have been a complete disaster._

 _Irma had suddenly wanted to travel to Shingashina. I don't know why but I decided to indulge her since it would give me an escape from mother's many suitors. Don drove the carriage to the town of Shingashina which was the heart of the Walled cities. She didn't say what we were going to do there but it was nice to visit one of the Walled cities even if it was one of the poorer District. We visited many shops during the day and even brought some new clothing but then when we got in view of the Outer Gate, Irma simply stopped dead looking straight at the Wall an odd look upon her face._

 _I wanted to ask her what was wrong but she simply smiled to herself and then said to me._

" _This is where it will happen…This is where it will stick out his head and look down on us, A Colossal Type Titan and it will bring down the wall. So many people will die and there will be so many of them getting eaten…"_

 _I asked her how she knew and she said that Sarah was the one who showed it to her._

 _I hated this Sarah person whoever she was for doing this so I told her that there was no Sarah, and that what she was having were delusion same as her father…Looking back at it now…I was such an heartless bitch to her and I never thought I'd see her so crushed._

 _God I hate myself for doing this to her…_

 _September 4,_

 _Wow, I haven't written in this in a while…_

 _I don't really know what to write to be honest…still doesn't even know why I am still writing in this thing. Mom gave it to me as a gift when I was a young girl and now, I'm twenty year old this year…marriageable age, mother would say…_

 _Irma and I…we're not living together anymore. Mother suggested that I came to stay with her for a while at her home in Trost so I decided to go and stay for a while. Despite all of that…I found myself thinking about her sometimes._

 _I miss her and it hurts…_

 _January 13, X796_

 _I received a letter today…from Irma. She said that she wanted to meet with me to talk about something. I want to meet with her and apologize but…I don't know how. It probably sound easy on paper but to stand in front of her and apologize…it's much harder._

 _I still remember how broken she was back during that trip to Shingashina and the cruel words I said that day…I talked to Mom about it, saying that Irma and I were having a fight…never giving the specifics as to why we were fighting but she revealed something to me._

 _Something she had been keeping a secret…she told me that Irma had fired her entire staff at the mansion a few months ago and that she was going mad…_

 _I didn't want to believe it…I didn't want to believe it and yet looking at the letter in my hand and those four words written upon it. She was asking me if I still love her?_

 _Fuck it…I'm going to see her…_

 _I hope she is still herself._

 _January 16,_

 _The house is completely empty. There is no one walking the halls, no servants in the kitchens. Even the lights were off in the hallways. It gives it a creepy vibe around the place. Irma is still there as is Don but everyone else is just gone…_

 _Irma received me at the entrance today. She was dressed well and her smile was warm…she didn't look any different than the las_

That was the last word written as a large black line suddenly shoot from the s of the word almost like Elza was startled by something as she was writing about it. The rest of the page was ominously blank making me wonder exactly what had happened in that moment.

I turned the page over as a new entry was there but the handwriting was different, more elegant than Ezla's.

 _Hey Elza, I read your dairy while you were sleeping._

 _I never knew you cared so much for me…and seeing you again was like being reborn again. I missed you all this time you know. I am trying so hard to understand why Sarah keep giving me these memories. Sometimes I feel like I should be screaming out loud about what is happening to me._

 _Why did father decided I should be the one to inherit this power and not Jura? When I asked him why that day, I was to inherit the power, he told me that "the path must connect". I didn't understand it then and I still don't understand it now. Everyone is acting worried about me but didn't want them to worry so I fired them. They can't understand what I have…the power I possess. I could have crushed them to bits but I can't do that…I can't at least not yet…_

The writing was becoming more and more erratic as it continued losing the elegant script.

 _I AM NOT CRAZY…No one is. My father wasn't crazy….people always said madness follow my family but if they knew about the outside world…about the expense of lands we abandoned…about the people that were left behind when Fritz built the Walls…if they knew about our history as sinners…THEY SHOULD ALL JUST UP AND DIE….No, no, I can't die yet…I am close…I can feel it with you here maybe I can see Sarah again. Will she come? I don't know…but my power is mine…MAKE ME UNDERSTAND DAMN IT…what is it that you're not telling me Sarah…WHY ARE YOU KEEPING IT A SECRET…TELL ME…TELL ME…TELL ME…._

The rest was eligible and yet, I can't help but feel a chill running through my back at the words that were aimed at me. I swallowed knowing who it was that had written this.

Irma Ashler, the girl that Elza had been mostly writing about…thought I found it strange that she was writing in this diary considering it was Elza…maybe she was the one who surprised Elza when she was writing earlier and since she mentioned Elza being asleep then I can attest that the girl was still alive at least and from the writing, Irma seems to be descending into madness from what I can see.

I turned the page again finding another entry there.

 _January 22,_

 _I can't believe she would write in my own diary. Irma seems to think the entire thing to be hilarious but I am not laughing. I am worried about her now, and seeing what she was written made me feel really afraid for her. Is madness the only thing that the Ashler family can have between themselves?_

 _I can still feel the pain from that night upon my body…she didn't really need to bite down that hard…_

 _I guess…she really did miss me._

 _July 23,_

 _Jura is back. I didn't know he would return since Irma never mentioned him and the two talked to each other in the dining room and Irma wanted me to be there. She told him about the strange vision she had of Shingashina and the wall falling and Jura gave us more news that the Fritz Titan was changed into the newest host…He said that the one before had ended his term._

 _Seems that a young man named Olivar Reiss is the one that inherited the power and he was a good friend of Jura. He wants to convince him to destroy the Titan and prepare for the day when the Colossal arrives…_

 _I don't know why they seem to believe it to be truth but I'll be there to help them._

 _October 21,_

 _Jura say that the Reiss family isn't budging on his proposition. He said that Olivar had changed…that he wasn't the same friend that he remembered. Irma suggested they steal the power of the Titan for themselves…._

 _If Reiss isn't going to act, then they are going to act for the sake of humanity._

 _I'm really scared right now…Reiss is the Royal family if what Irma said to me before was truth…then, if they do this, they'll be rebelling against the King. If we do this…then could there really be a future for us?_

 _They said that they were going to kidnap Olivar and bring him here. Since Jura is always with him, he is going to pay some people to help him do it. I hope he knows what he is doing…_

 _November 3,_

 _The plan failed…The King's Shields the Ackerman clan got wind of what we were planning…it was a disaster and Jura is missing…_

 _I'm really scared right now…oh…someone's knocking at the door…_

 _November 13,_

 _Irma had gotten summons from the King yesterday. A man showed up at the mansion and handed her an envelop with the King's seal. Irma's face was completely blank of emotions but I can't help but feel fear…_

 _The Royal government was unto us…Irma is the in the room right now with me and I can't help but feel this is the last night we'll spent together and I want to make love to her._

 _I don't care what tomorrow will bring…I just care about right now…._

 _November 14,_

 _Irma told me to leave the mansion and go back to Trost…I don't want to leave her but she was firm about me. She told me that everything would be fine._

 _I wished I could believe that._

 _November 16,_

 _Jura showed up last night at my home. He looked like he didn't get a shave for days and he said that we were betrayed. Someone in the group he hired was a spy of the King. They were part of the MPs and they betrayed us. I told him about Irma going to see the King and he told me he'll get to her before anything happen._

 _But I won't let him do this alone._

 _I love Irma and I don't want her to die because I didn't believe her. Irma fell into madness because I abandoned her when she needed me the most. That madness of her lead us down this path and I swear I am never going to abandon her again…_

 _I love her too much for that…_

I turned the page to read the next one but the page was blank. Frowning, I continued to turn but all the rest of the pages were completely blank. I frowned lightly to myself as I continued to turn hoping to find something else that was written but there was nothing at all.

"That's the last entry," I said looking up at the people within the room.

"Then it's safe to assume that they managed to save Irma," Erwin said, looking at me, "Considering that you're here with the power of the Titan."

"They knew about the Colossal Titan destroying the Gate in Shingashina," Hange said not keeping the shock out of her voice, "She described exactly what would happen when the Gate was destroyed almost like she was there herself but…that can't be possible, Sarah was the one who witnessed the event and that was when everyone written about this was long dead, even Irma herself by then."

I frowned.

"Could it be there is a way that something could happen?" I asked, "The only thing that connect us is the Titan…what if there was a way for my Titan ability to connect people across centuries."

"That's crazy talk," Levi said, "There is no way something like that could be possible."

"And yet, the evidence is right in front of us," Commander Erwin spoke out, "A woman who died over fifty years ago has written about an event that took place five years ago."

"They are things known as coincidences," Levi said.

"Maybe," Hange said, "But we can't know for sure unless we tried it ourselves."

I blinked at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"We continue to experiment with you Sarah," Hange said, "I don't know if it will work however, what this diary show us that something like that may be possible and there is a way to discover what your Titan ability can be and if you can access memories from Irma…then there is a chance that you could access the memory of the world beyond the Walls."

"You want me to try and able to communicate with people long dead?" I asked her incredulous.

Hange's eyes were upon my own.

"From what we've just read," she said, "Seems that you'll succeed."

I stared at the diary in front of me. This was insane. There was no way something like that could be even possible but Irma did witness the fall of Shingashina in a dream from what Elza wrote about it. Something like that shouldn't even be possible in the first place but there was a lot of thing that wasn't possible that were nowadays.

I raised a hand to my forehead as if to appease the nursing headache I had.

"I'll…I'll try," I told her, "If something like that is really possible then there is a chance that I might be able to figure out my Titan power and how I managed to connect with that woman…"

Hange smiled.

"Good, I already have something in mind for you," she said, "But first, it's getting quite late right now and it will be probably best if we retire right now…and don't forget Sarah, we'll meet up in two days. I still have some work to be done with our other project…"

I nodded at her, still reeling about what we've just learned in the diary.

"Do you mind if I keep this?" Erwin asked, indicating the diary.

I shook my head.

"Not at all sir," I answered.

"Well Hange got the right idea," Levi said, "It is quite late into the night right now. How about you return to your barrack and get some sleep. From what I see, you're going to have a busy schedule in the coming days."

I nodded at him and stood up from where I was seating. I placed the dairy upon the Commander's desk and gave them all a salute before turning around and leaving the office. Everything was quiet now considering that it was late at night, and I could hear a conversation going on behind the door I just left behind but I didn't stay to listen at all. I walked through the building in a daze at what was just uncovered for me by Elza.

The barracks were dark when I entered it but I have been there enough to know my way around them, heading toward my own bed and seating upon it. I can hear the soft snore going on around me meaning that most of the people were basically asleep at this time.

Suddenly a lamp was turned on drawing my gaze toward it. Mikasa was still awake as she was dressed in her sleep clothing as she seated up from her bed.

"You've made it back," she said, "You've been talking to the Commanders long?"

"Yeah, ever since we came back," I answered her, "Why are you still awake?"

"Was waiting for you to come back," Mikasa answered approaching me before taking a seat beside me on the bed, "You look tired."

"I'm exhausted to be honest," I told her, honestly.

The girl nodded.

"Then I'll let you get some rest," she said.

I caught her arm before she could stand up, drawing her gaze back toward me. There was some confusion within those dark eyes as they met my own.

"Stay with me?"

The look in her eyes softened lightly.

"Of course."

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed that one.**

 **Next Time:** Discovery

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	54. Hollow Discovery

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Thanks for the reviews last chapter but now enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah kneeling by herself surrounded by tall crystal pillars...

Chapter Fifty-Four

Hollow Discovery

The next morning found me, along with Eren and Hange upon the field that we were testing my Titan ability. It was a familiar sight as we have been doing this for the past three days now. I was dressed in a simple shirt and pants as Eren was dressed similarly simple having forgo the military uniforms for today…thought Hange still wore hers.

"Alright you two," he said, "I know that Eren have some hardening experiment to do and I thought that throwing him in a simulated combat experiment will do well. Since we have another Titan shifter in our midst. I thought it would be the best way to prepare for the time we will meet Reiner and Berthold again."

I nodded at her. It made sense in a way. Reiner was experienced in using his Titan body from the many reports I have read about the Armored Titan and how he fought against Eren the last time they met. I glanced at the young man beside me and Eren had a frown upon his face as he stood there. He probably realized it as well since he fought against Reiner…thought there was something about him that seemed to be just waiting to explode most of the time.

Guess he haven't really changed since our Cadet days.

"You want us to fight in our Titan forms?" I asked her.

Hange nodded.

Eren and I glanced at each other for a moment before I nodded at him giving him my consent about what was going to happen and the young man nodded back. Seeing that we have agreed to her plans, Hange retreated.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Eren asked giving me a glance, "You're not exactly the best hand to hand fighter."

I smirked lightly.

"I don't need to be a good fighter to get you on your ass Yeager," I answered him.

He shook his head; thought I can see a trace of a smile upon his face. The young man walked off to the other end of the field after all, as I did the same pulling out a small knife from my clothing. When we faced each other again I saw the green smoke Hange shoot out into the sky and then from across me, I saw Eren's hand going toward his face that he could transform. It was still amazing that he could bite through his skin so that he could get a wound…thought when the young man was enveloped in light, I stabbed my own hand.

Flesh and bones took presence around me as my body was completely enveloped around me as I was no longer seeing through my human eyes but the eyes of my Titan. I was once again the tall gray female Titan steam rising from my skin. I glanced at my large gray hands noticing the armor that was upon my arms and around my nape. From the description that I had of the Armored Titan, it would seem that it was oddly similar to how his skin was, thought only my arms and nape were armored…the rest of my gray body however, was very opened.

Across me, was Rogue as the Titan let out his powerful roar once more. The first time I saw Rogue, I was a human and he looked as tall as any Titan I have seen back then but now seeing him as my Gray Titan, he was about just some inches taller than I was. His body was all muscle and skin which was the same as my own the only difference being that his skin was similar to a normal human while my own wasn't.

Rogue let out another roar as the hardening happened around his hands which were covered in a crystal-like substance looking, they were glittering in the sunlight that was coming from above us. I approached toward him and then took a normal standard stance as Eren did the same as well before he attacked forward with his hardened fist.

I pared it quite easily. Practicing with Mikasa had improved my skills a little bit from my Cadet days and since the girl was the best in our year, I knew that I would probably never be able to beat her in a straight up hand to hand combat but I could learn on how to beat people that were stronger than me…I didn't need to be as strong as them to be able to defeat them.

And it was the was I was going to beat Eren.

 _If I can…_

Rogue's eyes blinked lightly at seeing me blocking his attack. He instantly followed up another attack with his other fist and I dive bellow it, letting his armored fist fly above me. My own fist had risen up with my own attack, slamming it straight into his side and I swore I feel the bones their crack beneath my attack. The two of us separated from each other and steam was rising from his side, healing causing me to let out a soft growl.

Rogue had a hand against his side at being hit but then had his hands up again, as he was slowly moving to the left, keeping his eyes on me. I had my own stance as we circled each other, gauging each other for weaknesses.

Then I struck forward once more.

My fist aimed straight for Eren's face which he dodged as the two of us worked through a set of attacks each time we would hit each other I swore I could see the trees shaking around us but my attention was wholly focused upon the fight as me and Eren exchanged blows for blows, thought I did notice Rogue getting frustrated at not being able to break through my armored arms even with the hardening around his hands.

I was curious about that as well. The way he was using his hardening ability was a lot how Annie used hers when I faced her as the Female Titan. It was easily to see that the blonde girl was infinitely more skilled than Eren was…thought while Eren had power behind his attacks, he still wasn't able to break through my armor at all.

How curious that it was.

The two of us separated again, and I let out a roar at him raising my hand to the side again as light started to spread around my hand. I can see Rogue's eyes widening in shock at the sight of the spear that I created in my hand and then I launched it straight at him causing his eyes to widen in shock at what I had just done and it was his surprise that made the spear hit him since he couldn't avoid it in time.

The spear stabbed him straight through the chest causing him to step back as blood flew from the wound, his Titan falling backward from the force behind the throw I did to him and it was then that what I had done had reached my mind.

I blinked in shock.

 _What did I just do?_

There was a sudden bang as a red smoke was sent flying into the air drawing both of our attentions at it. It was the signal saying that the experiment was over. I let out a soft growl, not knowing what had just happened. I hadn't even meant to create the spear at all but somehow it had been brought into existence yet again.

It was just like that time I was fighting against Annie…but I still didn't know how I create it to be honest. I let out a small growl before I focused upon my human body that was in the nape of my Titan. I can feel something shifting on my back before my vision turned dark. Hot steaming flesh was all I felt as I pulled myself from the skin of my Titan, still feeling the flesh of the Titan connected to me. There was someone standing there beside my form and I glanced up toward them.

"You're okay?" Jean asked.

I nodded at him and the young man helped me pulled myself out of my Titan body before he guided me down toward the ground. Across us, I can see Mikasa getting Eren out of his own Titan body. The two of us walked together for a moment as Armin and Hange approached toward me.

"How did you do that?" Hange asked, "I thought your Titan couldn't harden?"

I frowned, looking at the hardened spear that was stabbing through Rogue's decomposing form. It was just like back when I faced Annie however, I still didn't truly know how I did that.

I shook my head, "I don't know how I did that."

"You seem to know how to do it when you were facing Eren in the fight," Armin said, "From the way you moved in the fight…"

"Did it seem that way?" I asked him.

He nodded.

"I truly don't know," I told him, "I'm sorry."

"Hey it's nothing to worry about," Armin said, "Maybe if you can find a way to use it, it could be a huge advantage."

Hange glanced at me.

"You can keep going?" she asked, "we have to keep the experiment going and see just how much you can transform."

I let go of Jean who was helping me up and I nodded lightly.

"I can keep going," I told her.

Hange smiled lightly.

"Alright, everyone in position again," she said, "You know the drill."

I nodded at her and when the green smoke shoot through the air again, I stabbed my hand again.

* * *

The Mess Hall was filled with the group as I took my seat down beside Armin and Eren. Mikasa was seating across me. It was a day after the experiment had taken place and I had collapsed from exhaustion after transforming two more times along with Eren and I had slept for an entire day just to get my energy back. Now that I woke up again, I had decided to get something to eat and found Eren, Armin and Mikasa at one of the tables so I went to them which brought me here.

"When did you wake up again?" I asked the boy beside me.

Eren ran a hand through his hair, "Just an hour ago. It's gotten easier with the way the experiments are going thought. I can fully plug the mouth of the cave and my hardening training is going well with you there…thought, I still can't do anything against your armor."

"Yeah, I'm surprised at that too," Armin said glancing at me, "I thought with how strong Annie was with it, you would be able to do something against the armor….but I guess it would be too hopeful to think that it would be easy."

I let out a soft hum.

"Maybe you shouldn't do it like Annie," I told him.

Eren glanced at me, a surprised look appearing upon his features.

"What do you mean?"

I glanced at the boy, "When Annie fought against you, she was able to beat you with her hardening ability because you don't have armor on your Titan…maybe you should try to focus on making armor on your own hand like how it looks on my Titan."

Eren seems to think about it.

"You have a point…," he said, "It would take more than brute strength to take down Reiner…I'll try on improving how I harden my hands and focus upon that."

I smiled nodding at him.

"Sarah," Mikasa said softly drawing my gaze, "Did you learn anything about your family from Elza's journal?"

I shook my head.

"Not really," I told her, "All that I have about it is more questions than answers…thought I had an theory in my mind about what I did learn."

"What are you two talking about?" Eren asked.

Eren and Armin both had confused looks upon their features as they were looking at us. I now realized that they didn't know about the little side trip Mikasa and I went with Captain Levi, and then what we have discovered from the said little trip. I decided to start telling them about what had happened since the last experiment happened with Elza's name appearing and then going in the Underground District with Captain Levi and all that had happened there.

When I was done with my story, both Armin and Eren had shocked looks upon their features.

"You mean to say that some people that lived years ago somehow knew both you and Mikasa's name?" Armin said.

I nodded.

"But that's impossible right?" Eren said, "How could they have known about you and Mikasa when the two of you weren't even born yet?"

"I had a theory about that," I told him, "Well…more like a thought. In her journal, Elza mentioned that Irma told her about the Fall of Shingashina District. Considering that I was there when Berthold destroyed the Wall, I thought that somehow because of the Gray Titan we were able to somehow connect across time."

Eren was even more pale than before.

"They knew about Shingashina?" he whispered, "About the Wall falling?"

"Somehow they do," I told him, "But they hadn't managed to do anything about it because they were probably wiped out before anything could be done. The Ashler family was always believed to have madness following them like a plague so even if they managed to warn someone they were probably not believed."

"But not all of them died," Mikasa said, looking at me, "You are still here with the Titan power and there is that guy in the Underground."

I nodded at her.

"I know," I told her, "But since Elza didn't write anything past November…there is only speculation on what had happened since then."

Armin glanced at me.

"November…?" he repeated, "November of X796?"

I glanced at him surprised.

"Yeah," I told him, "How did you know that?"

A look crossed his features.

"All of you come with me," he said.

Exchanging a look with the other two who mirrored by puzzled expression, we all stood up from where we sat, and followed the young man out of the mess hall and into the direction of the barracks. Armin had us waiting for him outside for a few moments before he came back out carrying a book in his hand. It was a book I recognized at all, I had let him borrow it before the entire experiment happened in the first place.

"Ever since you let me borrow that book," he said, "I have read some of it…however, when you mentioned November, something I have read about in this book jumped out at me."

He opened it, searching for the page for a few minutes before finding what he was looking for.

"Here," he said showing it to me.

Eren and Mikasa crowded around me to read what had Armin had indicated and I read through the short paragraph which had the illustration of a burned mansion upon it.

 _House Ashler had fallen into obscurity for a year before a mysterious fire completely destroyed the mansion on November 24 X796. The following investigation revealed that the House was burned down by the last members of the family who just like many of their forefathers had fallen into madness that had gripped them. It was also revealed that the Ashler family was behind the sudden riots that took place within Mitras some weeks previously and some theorized they committed suicide instead of facing the King's justice._

"Their house was destroyed in a fire?" Mikasa said.

"Sannes said as much to me when I spoke to him," I answered her staring down at the paragraph, "He told me that they were not innocent of the punishment they received. That fire was possibly started by the Interior Squad anyway to silence the Ashley because of what they knew."

I stared at the date for a moment.

 _November 24…just a few days after Elza's last journal entry…just what had happened in those few days?_ I thought, _From what she had written Elza seems to be going to try and help Irma from the King but there was nothing else after…_

"Then…they burned everyone that was inside that house?" Eren said, "Just so they can keep their secret…"

"Well we did learn that they were killing anyone who was a danger to the King," Armin told him.

I continued to stare at the illustration in front of me.

 _We of the Interior squads did our duties, killing everyone that was close to that family as well as burning their home down to the ground along with the family that was inside…_

Those were Sannes words from back then…

 _Anyone that could have helped us died and killed…and even Reiner and Berthold knew the truth about my family…but their own enemies…thought the last time I thought of them as friends was back to that day when Wall Rose was believed to have been breached…_

The image of the ruins of a mansion appearing within my mind as I froze suddenly remembering the familiarity I felt when I had stared at it.

 _A mansion that looked like it was burned down….covered in vines…_

"Holy shit," I said shocked.

Eren, Armin and Mikasa looked at me.

"What?" Armin asked.

I glanced at them.

"I know where the Ashler Mansion is," I told them, "But…we need horses to get there."

I ran toward the stables with the trio following after me. I can't believe I didn't make the connection before but then again…with everything that had happened back then with the Beast Titan, Reiner and Berthold betrayal and Narissa's death…it was no wonder that I had forgotten about it.

"Wait up Sarah," Armin called, "What do you mean you know where it is?"

"I know where the mansion is because I have seen it before," I explained to him as we entered the stable making our way toward the horses.

"You mean in a memory?"

I shook my head looking at them.

"Not a memory," I answered, "I saw it with my own eyes back during that day we believed Wall Rose was breached. The three of you were off to face Annie by that time and when the Titans first appeared then, we were split into groups to try and send off the early warning to nearby settlements and start the evacuation to Wall Sina… _I can't believe I didn't make the connection before."_

I glanced at Armin and Mikasa.

"I felt a familiarity with it," I told them, "Just like how it was when we were in front of Reiss's Chapel as well as being in the underground cavern…like I have been there before."

Eren frowned lightly.

"I…I had something like that happening to me when I was under the Chapel too," he said, "An impression of behind down there despite never seeing it before…You're saying you know where it is."

I nodded at him.

"Alright, we'll go with you."

I smiled at him and we all worked on saddling our horses before riding out with me in the lead since I knew where we were going. It took us three hours to get there, riding our horses through the dirt road of the country side of the territory of Wall Rose. I went through the same road I went way back when during the invasion and in no time at all, I was coming up upon the village and the mansion that sat upon the slight hill.

And just like back then, the sense of familiarity was back. I stared at it for a few moments, basking in the old mansion before riding on the trail that lead up at the mansion with the trio following after me. the road was overgrown with grass with no one to care for it over the past fifty years since there was no one to take care of it as we came to a stop in front of a small gate.

There was a waterfall in the middle of the courtyard of the mansion but it wasn't in use at all, vines all over it as well and the mansion was a ruin from what I can see. Most of the roof were destroyed and some walls were still standing despite how long is had been since it was burned down. Vines were visible upon the remaining walls with the plants overgrown as well as the grass that was on the ground around the ruins.

"This is it," I said, "It's the place."

"There is not much left," Mikasa said.

I descended from my horse, hearing the others did the same. I walked straight toward the gate before pushing it open. It creaked loudly in the silence and I entered the courtyard. There was a stable for the horses across us so we left the horses there before making our way toward the mansion. I couldn't help but feel the stab of familiarity within me growing. It was the same feeling I felt when I went to the REYNE home a few days back but here it feels like I had just come back home.

There was no entrance as the walls were all destroyed there but I stepped through it and into the ruins, glancing around myself. Some of the walls were rotten and some of them were losing paint as there was no one to care for them in a long while.

"Anything seems familiar to you Sarah?" Armin asked.

"I know them," I told him, "There used to be a chandelier at the entrance…but I guess it was destroyed in the fire and most of the second floor is destroyed. That's where Elza and Irma's room are situated…well, more like was situated."

We continued through the hallway coming to a doorway that gave way into what seems to be the remains of a kitchen. They were grass and vines everywhere thought it the wall were blackened from the fire some of the silverware was still there as some spoons could be seen on the ground.

"The kitchen from what it looks like," Eren said.

Mikasa let out a soft hum as she was glancing around herself but she didn't say anything. Something on the ground drew my attention and I went to pick it up. It was a small tea plate decorated with some flowers around it. I don't know why, but seeing it somehow brought a smile to my lips and the emotion I felt were more like melancholy and sadness at the sight of it.

I placed it upon the counter in front of me and stepped out of the room with the group following after me as we walked through the hallway reaching another large opening that gave way toward the forest around the mansion. They were destroyed walls there completely covered by the foliage but deep within me, I knew that this was the living room of the house and the one that was most likely targeted by the fire.

"I wonder what this place was?" Armin said to himself.

"Living room," I answered him, "It's where…Elza first saw the madness of the Ashler family when she found Lesly Ashler talking to himself in this very room…at least, that what she wrote in her journal."

A hand on my shoulder drew my gaze finding Mikasa there, and there was a slight concern in her gaze. My tone was bitter when I talked then and I must have worried her somehow. I gave her a light smile reassuring her that I was okay before turning away from the place.

"Why are we here exactly Sarah?" Eren asked, "This place has been destroyed completely and from the looks of it, we won't find anything other than the ruins of a burned down mansion."

Truth be told, I didn't know why I was here either. The mansion was familiar to me, to the Ashler but as to why I was here…I didn't understand it. There was this burning within me that urged me to be here in this place but as for what, I didn't know but I was simply letting my instinct guide me. Something was drawing me here.

"I don't know…I just feel I need to be here," I told him, "There is something I need to do. I'm not sure what it is, but it's here…"

 _The path must connect._

"Could it be someone's memories is influencing you somehow?" Armin suggested.

I glanced at him.

"How do you figure that out?"

"You said this place was familiar to you because of your Titan," the young man said, "There is still so much we don't know about your Titan and whatever answer you think you're going find here had burned up along with the mansion long ago. Eren is right, we won't find anything here…"

Armin suddenly trailed off as his attention was fixed upon something at the end of the hall. We all turned toward it finding a door that was half opened. I approached toward the door and opened it finding that it was an office. Despite the destruction of the house, this place was remarkably undamaged thought it was still aged with many of the place covered in dust and leaves.

"Huh?" Armin said, "This place is not damaged by the fire at all…. strange considering how everything else is destroyed."

There was familiarity within the room as well as I glanced at the far wall which was covered by a bookcase. I made my way toward it looking at it for a few moments before turning my attention toward the group.

"Help me move this," I told them.

"Huh?"

"You're serious?" Armin asked.

"There is something behind this…," I told him, "Trust me…I feel it's the reason that I am here."

Armin did as I asked and the four of us pushed against the side of the bookcase. It slid off easier than I expected it to be, revealing the hidden door behind it, but what really drew our attention was the light that was coming from behind the door. It was like a constant glowing light that came from behind it.

"There…is a light coming from behind it," Mikasa said.

I opened the door throwing it open entering the small stone made room, revealing that the light was coming from some stairs in front of us…stairs that lead straight down into a crystal cave much like how it was under Reiss's chapel. It was much smaller than the one that was under Reiss's chapel but there was no mistaking the tall crystal column that grew around us as we walked together.

"There was another one of those place," Eren said, "That must be where they did the same ritual that the Reiss family did."

"It was," I said, "Elza mentioned it in her journal."

"Look," Mikasa said suddenly after a while pointing at the front of us, "Someone is there already."

We all focused on where she was pointing and sure enough there was someone there across us, leaning against one of the pillars. They were dressed in a light dress and their head was bowed down behind a lock of raven hair that were completely covering their features. The dress that the person was wearing was darkened in one place and one of the hands that was on the ground beside it was almost skeletal in appearance.

We slowly approached the figure in front of us.

"It's…dead," Eren said.

I approached toward the slumped figure in front of us and kneeled down toward it. I raised both of my hand toward the figure and pushed the hair the side, revealed the mummified face that was beneath it. Something shoot through my heart as I stared at the features in front of me.

I knew this face…

Tears had started to pool in my eyes as I let go of the hair which fell in front of the figure's features, hiding them behind the curtain of darkness once more. Tears continued to fall from my eyes as I sat there across her.

"Oh God…," I whispered.

"Sarah…?" Armin asked.

"It's…Elza," I whispered, "This is Elza Ashler."

I shook my head.

"She must have been here during the fire and took refuge down here," I continued, "She would know about it since Irma showed it to her but…she succumbed to her injuries and died here alone…she died by herself while both Irma and Jura lived beyond this."

I stared at the corpse in front of me.

 _Was this what drew me here? Did Irma had some inkling of her being here and had led me here?_

 _Was this what you wanted me to see Irma?_

 _Was this the price you paid for you madness?_

"My sister…lover…my half," I whispered softly looking at the corpse remembering what Hange said that I had written on the ground during the experiment.

A voice whispered back in my ears.

" _The path must connect."_

 _The image of a dead man flashed within my mind…as I stood over him…_

 _A girl in a white dress with a light smile…_

 _Sonja…_

* * *

 **A memory burst forth...**

 **Next Time:** A Broken Mind.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	55. A Broken Mind

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new one.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A dark haired girl with golden eyes as she was wearing a long white dress

Chapter Fifty-Five

A Broken Mind

 **Year X847**

Bloodlines.

It is what ties family to one another…generations can past and people may change overtime but bloodline is something that will always stay the same and sometimes, that bloodline is all that hold us together. Aunt Maria believed that the bloodline was the most possible connection that had tied us together and that is why she believed I could carry that power…

Because of that bloodline that we shared, she believed that her sister was still alive through me and if I was the last of my family…could this mean that they were all alive within me despite all of them being dead and buried long ago?

But why do we spill blood then if that is the only connection, we have to each other?

* * *

 _We have to fight…._

 _Sarah, why don't you go outside and practice your flute?_

 _WE CAN'T LEAVE HER…_

 _Sarah…I'm sorry…_

I opened my eyes, finding myself lying on my bed. Blinking for a few moments, I pulled myself out of it, glancing around the room taking in where I was. I was back at the small house I was staying in with Aunt Maria and Kyle thought the later wasn't here from what I can understand.

 _We have to go to Shingashina…_

 _You're just as insane as your father…_

 _Sarah…tell me the truth…Tell me…_

"Not yet," I found myself whispering to the voices I could hear.

I couldn't understand what was going on. The room spun a little as I was feeling suddenly dizzy. My stomach clenched horribly and I felt the urge to vomit. I stumbled backward falling against the wall of the room. It was like there were thousands of voices whispering all around me and I couldn't understand them at all.

I crouched against the wall with both of my hands at my ears, wanting to block the voices but it was completely useless for they continued in their many whispers the voices growing louder despite what I have done to damper them.

 _There is no future for humanity within the Walls…_

 _They are sinners…_

 _I'm not going to spend my life in a cage…_

 _The Survey Corps is not the way…_

 _Roselyn, I love you…_

 _I'm not going to die yet…_

 _Don't die…_

 _Ride my soldiers…_

 _She has chosen their side…_

 _The Wall is not infallible Olivar…you must know that…you know they will come…_

 _Markus come back home…_

 _For humanity…_

 _A beautiful lie…_

"SHUT UP," I screamed to the top of my lungs as it echoed all around the empty room, I was in.

The voices fell silent but I had a headache now, pounding against my skull. It was like something was trying to drill a hole in the middle of my brain and crawl out of it. I had my eyes closed at the pain feeling my entire body trembling at the strain that it was being put through…

Someone touched my shoulder and my uncle was there at my side, his eyes showing concern within their depths.

"Uncle Kyle…,"

"I heard your scream….god Sarah' you're bleeding."

I looked down at my shirt and saw that it was stained with blood…I stared at it shocked at the amount there was upon me as Kyle placed something upon my nose.

"Here," he said, "You're going to have to change your shirt."

"Make them stop," I whimpered.

He looked at me, a puzzled look upon his face.

"Make what stop?"

" _The voices…make them stop please."_

He looked at me and there was this helplessness to his face.

"What voices?"

I stared at him.

"Don't you hear them?" I asked him, "They are all speaking…saying things…I don't want to hear them. I want it to stop, I want Aunt Maria."

Uncle Kyle shook his head.

"Maria isn't with us anymore," he said, his voice taking a somber tone, "Maria is dead Sarah. She died a month ago…it's just us now."

I was looking at him at what he was saying to me. I heard what he said but the words didn't register in my mind at all for they were other words whispering in my ears…

They were always whispering.

* * *

A small grave had been built in the back for Maria. It was a simple one as well as all that with only a single post with a plate which her name had been drawn unto by hand. The mount of earth that was beneath it was already covered with grass. I spent many of my days here, just seating there staring at the grave in front of me as if I stare enough that it will disappear and Maria will come back.

But it stayed.

Kyle wasn't here since had gone back into town to by some food for the following week and I was just here by myself in the house. It wasn't the first time I was by myself as Maria used to leave for days at the time and Kyle will go back into town to buy food. It wasn't like they were much to do when the firewood was already prepared and clothes were already washed.

"Mind if I join you?"

I was startled by the sudden voice looking up toward the direction it came from. There was a young woman leaning on the fence of the house. She was wearing a long single white dress upon her form. She had dark hair falling upon her shoulder and had a light smile upon her lips as her golden eyes stared at me.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Sonja," she answered, "I was just taking a walk when I saw you seating there all by yourself. You looked a little sad so I decided to come and talk."

I looked away from her.

"My Aunt died a month ago," I told her.

"Is she the one buried here?"

I glanced at her and Sonja was looking at the post with Maria's name. I nodded at her.

"I'm sorry for your lost little one," she smiled.

"I'm not little," I told her, "I'm thirteen."

"Still little to me," Sonja said, "Compared to me at least…you're super little."

Sonja then got a thoughtful look upon her face.

"Do you want to be my friend?" she asked.

I tilted my head.

"Why do you want to be friend with me?"

"Well…I like you," Sonja said, simply, "And you seem to need a friend to get back to things. Trust me, I have seen enough people died and become depressed over someone dying before to know how things will work out. It's pretty sad to see someone you know died but you should know, they won't be gone forever because they're still alive as well."

"Huh?"

Sonja smirked.

"They're alive because you're alive," she told me, "Isn't that what family is about? Even if one is dead, the others will carry on and she will be alive still."

I didn't really get what she was saying at all but without having no other kids in the area where I lived. I was a little lonely so I smiled.

"Sure, I'll be your friend," I told her, "My name is Sarah."

Sonja smiled again.

"Then it's nice to meet you Sarah."

Sonja was a nice down to earth girl. Over the next few days, she will come over and spent time with me whenever that I was alone at home and sometimes, I would even go for a walk and we would meet in the woods and spent the entire day together just talking and sharing stories.

Sonja was from a noble family as far as she said but they lived in the capital and she was only here with an uncle of hers who lived in the area. She had an aunt as well but from what she said the woman died a year ago and it was just her and her uncle now. It was strange how similar how situation where.

She seems to think so as well when I brought it up.

"Talk about weird coincidences," she laughed as she skipped over the stone in the river, "What's your uncle like?"

"Kyle?" I repeated, "Well…I only lived with him for a year since Wall Maria fell and he was more of a father to me than my own father was. I feel…great living with him."

I glanced at the older girl who was still jumping from one stone to another in the river.

"What about you?" I asked her, "What's your own uncle is like?"

"He is a drunk," Sonja said, "He doesn't do things well but he is still family. From what you said about your uncle, I wish mine was more like yours maybe things would be different somehow."

"You can come meet him," I told her, "He is staying home these past few days and I'm sure he'll like you."

Sonja seems to be hesitant to answer.

"I'm not sure about that," she said, turning toward me, a light frown upon her face, "My uncle doesn't like it when I stay away from home too long."

I frowned.

"But you always come to visit me," I told her.

"Only when he is not at home," Sonja answered with a small shrug, "He spent most of his time out in the bars of the town getting drunk and when he is like that, he can't know where I am. Since he can't know where I am, I can visit you."

She had a light smile upon her lips as she looked down at me and I couldn't help but feel a little bit worried about her.

"You're not…getting abused, are you?"

She laughed long and hard.

"No, it's not like that," she said, "He is a lovable drunk you know…always telling stupid stories and all that. I just worry about him a lot and he is family. I can't help it."

I smiled.

"I see."

She got a mischievous look upon her face.

"Its cute of you to worry you know," she said.

I feel a blush coming on.

"I'm not worried."

She laughed giving a small peck on the forehead. I felt the breeze of the wind dancing through my clothes then, the kiss like the touch of feathers upon my forehead.

"Yeah you do."

* * *

My improving mood have been noticed by Kyle who was looking at me with something akin to wonder in his eyes. We were both having breakfast together and he was just looking at me like I was a complete stranger to him.

"What is it?" I asked him.

"You seem happier than usual," he told me, "Did something happen?"

"I made a friend recently," I told him.

"You do?" he said surprised, "How odd…I though we were the only ones that lived this far out in the woods. I'm glad that you're doing better Sarah, you really scared me with how you reacted two months ago…but I'm glad that you're making friends."

I smiled at him.

"I'm glad to."

"You should invite this friend over," Kyle said, "I'd like to meet the person that had such a positive influence upon you like that."

"I'll ask her the next time I see her," I told her.

"So it's a her?" Kyle chuckled, "What's her name?"

I smiled.

"Sonja…her name is Sonja."

Kyle chuckled.

"Just tell me when you'll bring her over and I'll prepare a third plate for her," he said, "I'll be glad to meet her and get to know her myself."

I nodded.

"I'll tell her."

Kyle still looked at me. there was worry within his face but there seem to also be relief within his eyes that seems to be swelling with tears. His lips were trembling a little but he seems happy and that was enough for me.

* * *

Sonja had decided to come over when I told her that Kyle had invited her, thought it did take some convincing and a couple of days to get her to agree. She got a small smile upon her lips as the two of us were walking up toward my house and as we got closer to the door, I could already smell the cooking that Kyle was preparing for us.

"You'll love him, I promise you," I told her with a light smile.

"If you say so," Sonja said softly.

She was very subdued as we were walking toward the house so unlike how she usually was when we were by ourselves but I didn't really mind her. Maybe she'll get her confidence back when she meets Kyle and they got to start talking. I entered the house, hearing her following after me.

"Uncle Kyle, we're back," I called out.

"In the kitchen," he called out.

I grinned dragging Sonja with me until I stood in the doorway with her. Kyle turned his attention toward me when I appeared and smiled.

"About time you got back," he said, "I was starting to get anxious that your friend wasn't going to show up."

"Don't worry," I answered him, "She's right here. Sonja this is my uncle Kyle…uncle Kyle, Sonja."

There was a silence within the room as Sonja simply gave a meek wave toward the man. Uncle Kyle, however seems to thoroughly confused as she stared at the girl for a moment before his eyes turned toward me. His expression confused me.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"Sarah…your friend…," he said, "She is in the dining room, right?"

I frowned.

"No," I said, glancing at Sonja who was still as meek as before, "She is standing right beside me…c'mon said hi."

Sonja didn't say anything but just continue to look down on the floor in front of her. I glanced toward Kyle who had this crumbled expression upon his face. It was like his entire world was completely shattered in front of me as he stared at me, the look in his eyes were full of worry and heartache. He suddenly didn't have the strength to keep standing for he fell down upon the chair that was in the kitchen.

"I thought she was getting better…," he mumbled to himself, taking his face into his hand.

I was at lost at what to do.

"Kyle…what's wrong?" I asked him approaching the man.

He looked at me, tears falling from his face before he took me into his arms, crying upon my shoulder. I was worried for him, wondering why he was crying.

"I'm sorry Sarah," he said, "I'm so sorry I wasn't good enough."

I didn't understand why he was crying and all I felt that day was confusion.

Later I was back in my room seating upon my bed and Sonja was seating beside as quiet as a grave. There was a growling thunder in the distance as the two of us seated side by side. Lightning flashed from the window behind us illuminating my form and for a split second, I saw my shadow upon the ground…

Only my shadow…and not Sonja's despite her seating right by my side.

I glanced at her, and found that she was looking down at me. Her expression was different than the joyful one she always has whenever we were alone together. I stared at her for a long moment, wondering why she didn't have a shadow like me.

"Are you real?" I asked her softly.

Sonja raised a hand and took it within her own. I can feel her touch and yet, her hand was icy.

"Can you feel that?"

I nodded, "Your hand's cold."

"That's because I'm not really here," Sonja said.

"I don't understand."

Sonja gave me a sad smile.

"When you look at me…don't you see something familiar?" she asked me.

I stared at her for a long moment, taking in the long dark hair that fell upon her shoulders the pale skin and the golden eyes…Something clicked in my mind just now.

"You look…just like my mom," I said softly.

Sonja smiled brilliantly at me before looking down at our joined hands.

"Do you know why Maria believed that you should have inherited that power she gave you?" she asked me.

I blinked for a few moments before looking down. I haven't thought about her in a while.

"She said…something about our bloodline," I said.

"You wouldn't understand it if I explained it to you now," Sonja said, "You're are still a child after all but what I can say is that Maria did have the right idea in telling you that there was something special about our bloodline."

She had a sad smile upon her lips. I stared at my hands.

"Why did he react like that?" I asked her.

"Because he is not like us," Sonja said, "Because he thinks that you are broken by what had happened with Maria. I watched him when he watched over you when you were comatose. Maria couldn't prepare him for what he should expect even she didn't know what it was. That your mind is in pieces… _he thinks you're insane for talking to someone that isn't there in his eyes."_

"Am I?" I asked her, "Insane that is?"

"Do you feel like you're insane?"

I shook my head.

"Then you're not," she said simply as if that was the end of that argument.

I glanced at her.

"But what about Kyle?" I asked her, "He is going to worry about me."

Sonja's face was devoid of emotion.

"Then he should be taken care of."

Our eyes met each other and, in that moment, our minds aligned with one another…

I knew what I needed to do.

* * *

The rain was coming down hard now, the sound of thousands of droplets of water against the wooden roof was like a rhythm that felt slightly off key. I made my way throughout the house first making my way toward the kitchen to get what I needed before making my way toward the living room, standing at the entrance.

Kyle was seating by the table, his back turned toward me and he didn't seem to have heard me approach him at all. It would be hard to hear anything with the racket the rain was making on the roof above us. I stood there for a few moments before glancing toward Sonja.

Those golden eyes of hers met my own and she gave me a light nod of consent. I then, turned back toward Kyle's back and approached toward him.

"Uncle Kyle," I called out.

The man jumped about a foot into the air before he turned toward me, his eyes wide with surprise.

"Sarah…you startled me," he said, "I thought you'd be up in your room with…what happened this afternoon."

I smiled lightly at him.

"I wanted to see if you're okay," I told him with a light shrug of my shoulders, "You were crying."

Kyle smiled lightly.

"I…Sorry you had to see that," he said, "I'm just very worried about you. With what happened with Maria…you know, I have been thinking. I have a friend who is a doctor. I was thinking of going to see him and maybe, you can get better…like it was before."

"Thank you, Kyle," I said softly.

He blinked.

"For what?"

"For all you've done," I told him, "For always taking care of me…for being a father to me. I just wanted you to know that."

He smiled again.

"You don't need to thank me," he answered, "After all…we're family. It's what family does."

I nodded at him, and approached forward like I was coming in for a hug.

Then, I buried the knife I took from the kitchen into the side of his neck.

Kyle's eyes widened in shock as he stared at me, but I without my emotions I simply stared back at him. dark red blood fell from the wound he had upon his neck as he jumped backward and out of the seat he was on, knocking over a bottle that was on the table unto the ground in a crash. He was also holding upon his bleeding neck, the blood dripping between his fingers…

"Sa…Sarah…," he gurgled, falling upon his back.

I stared at him as he reached out toward me with one of his hand but it wasn't long before it fell back down into the ground, his body unmoving, the as his entire form went limp.

I stared at the knife in my hand, blood dripping from it. I turned around to look for Sonja but she had disappeared leaving me alone with the quickly cooling corpse of my uncle and the pool of blood that was forming beneath him.

I went out toward the backyard in the pouring rain, digging a grave for Kyle. My body was numb of all emotions as I worked and when it was deep enough, I dragged the body from the living room and into the ditch I created for him and then dropped the knife I killed him in with the body and then, covered it up completely.

With the rain water it was easy to wash away all of the blood that was within the room and I still didn't feel anything.

* * *

 **Some days later…**

"NEXT," a loud voice bellowed.

I jumped up from my thought before standing up and making my way toward the booth. I placed my information at the man as he read through them with a critical eye. He seems to like what he saw before he turned his attention and wrote something down upon it and then gave me the small slip.

"Head up to the second floor, last door on the left," he said, "Welcome to the Southern 104th Squad, Cadet Gray."

I looked up at the man, and for some odd reason, I smiled lightly.

"Happy to be here."

I took the slip and turned away.

* * *

 **The past revealed...**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Next Time:** The Path in our Blood

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	56. The Path in our Blood

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Thanks for the amazing response last chapter and i had to smile knowing how much this mystery around Sarah intrigue you guys. Anyway, here is the next chapter so enjoy.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah, Irma and Sonja standing back to back in a triangular formation as red string around their throat joins them together...

Chapter Fifty-Six

The Path In our Blood

There was no feeling within me the following few days since we had found Elza's body in the crystal chambers beneath the Ashler mansion. I was completely numb at everything that had happened around me and couldn't feel anything at all. The memory that had been unlocked within my mind about what I had done to Kyle was something that was always buried deep down within me.

I was still affected by it when I was starting in the Cadet training which was one of the reason why I didn't really befriend anyone during the classroom sessions of my training simply throwing myself into becoming a Scout completely and it was only when I befriended Narissa that I had started to open up a bit, actually making friends with the other people around me.

And yet, none of them ever knew how stained my hands were…

Stained with the blood of the man that took care of me…the man I killed just because I didn't want him to believe that I was insane…but why did finding Elza's body brought that memory to the forefront of my mind?

Armin had already gone to the Commander about what we had found at the Ashler mansion and it would seem that some Scouts had gone to investigate it and Hange had gone with them meaning that they were no experiment to be done today giving me and Eren a momentary rest from constant Titan transformation. Eren's hardening experiments were coming along fine, thought he has yet to be able to break my armor unlike how Annie had done it in one punch when I faced her in the Forest of Giant Trees.

Although he was still getting better.

With nothing to do exactly, I had decided to give a go at the ODM training course, wanting to perfect my gear movement some more. It had been a while since I had practiced and the weather was quite warm if not a little bit chilly with the approaching winter on the way.

The sun was quite bright today despite the light chill in the air, however it was still a good day for training and working up some sweat. With the gear attached at my waist, I decided to start flying through the trees, my body moving on automatic as I moved in between the trees dodging some that were in the way and using the gears to move from left to right, side to side when it was necessary.

Then, I landed down upon a branch huffing in exhaustion.

Something still didn't feel right to me.

Despite me wanting to forget what had happened…I still remember quite clearly driving the knife into Uncle Kyle's neck seeing how his eyes widened in shock at what I had done…seeing the emotions that crossed his face as he died in front of me…his eyes wondering why I had done it…why I had killed him?

 _I killed you to protect my secret…_ I thought to myself, _I killed you…the man who loved and raised me with Maria…the man she loved because you couldn't be trusted..._

I was shocked to feel tears falling from my eyes as I stood there upon the branch, my grip tightening on the handles that were in my grip. Something felt off ever since I returned from the Ashler mansion. I didn't know what it was but something had changed within me and I was terrified to find out exactly what that changed.

"Sarah?"

I blinked turning my gaze at the voice finding Eren there. The young man was wearing his ODM gear as well as he was walking beneath me. He was looking up at where I stood on the branch, with a confused expression upon his face.

"Eren…," I said before lowering myself down to his level thanks to the cable of my gear.

When I landed in front of him, I retracted the cable back and Eren gave me a questioning look.

"Having a bit of training then?"

"Yes…I haven't practiced as much with the Titan experiment Hange had us doing lately," I answered him, "And since this is a rare day off for us, I wanted to at least brush up my skills a bit. From what I can see, you've got the same idea."

"Yeah…I didn't want to simply not do anything today," Eren answered.

The two of us started walking side by side.

"Are you okay?" Eren asked, "You've been…quiet these past few days."

I thought for a few moments.

"It's just…things didn't play out the way I thought they were," I told him, "I believed that I would find some answers about the past…about my family. When we found Elza's name, I had thought that this would give me answers to questions that I had about why we have this Titan power within me…"

I tightened my hands into a fist.

"All it did was bring an old memory back to my mind," I answered.

Eren seems curious.

"And what memory is that?"

"The memory of the first person I killed."

We both stopped walking and I can feel the young man's gaze upon my form. I couldn't meet those green eyes for my mind was flashing back to that day quite easily. I can still hear the pitter-patter of the rain against the window and seeing Kyle bleed out in front of me as I stood there with the bloodied knife in hand.

"You killed someone?" Eren said shocked.

"You did the same when you were younger didn't you?" I reminded him, "They told us as much when you saved Mikasa when you were young…"

I turned toward him facing the young man, looking at him dead in the eye.

"Tell me Eren, how did it feel when you stabbed that man to death? How does it feel to see the life leave his eyes as the blood was in your hand in that knife? How did it feels?"

Eren seems taken aback by my words as he stared back at me, shocked at what I was saying. Then the young man looked away.

"There is nothing to talk about that," he said, "I barely even remember most of it anyway…but, if there was one emotion that I could tied to all that mess…it was anger."

I blinked at him.

"Anger?"

"I was angry at them for killing Mikasa's parents," Eren continued, "I was angry at them for what they did. I was angry that people like that existed in this world…"

Eren turned his gaze at me.

"Tell me…what did you feel when you killed?"

"That's the thing Eren…," I told him, "I didn't feel anything at all….Not anger or rage, no pain…just nothing… _like there is void where I should feel and it was filled with nothingness."_

There was something inside me that had changed ever since that day, I realized. Something inside me had never been the same since Wall Maria fell. But it was so small that I didn't even realize it at first. When I killed Kyle, I noticed that it was there but I decided that it wasn't worth focusing on, choosing to become a Scout and yet…

After everything that had happened so far since I joined the Army…the battle of Trost…The Female Titan…Reiner and Berthold betrayal…the battle against the Interior Squad…

 _It had grown…_

"I wanted to find answers back then," I continued, "Answers that I was…but there weren't any answers…just the story of a girl who fell in love with her own step sister."

Eren didn't say anything at all during the entire time we walked together and I liked it better like that. I don't feel like talking either…not after that.

* * *

"New recruits are joining us?"

It was late afternoon as I was seating with the rest of the 104th for dinner. It was Jean that had delivered the news to us. Connie and Sasha were side by side, while I was seating across Jean with Mikasa at my right followed by Eren and Armin.

"Yes," he said, "They have been soldiers from other branches who signed up from what the Captain was saying."

"It's not surprising given the success that we had lately," Armin said, "With what the Scouts have uncovered, we actually have the people on our side thanks to Histo…I mean, Queen Historia. Since she was part of the Scouts, and with the Queen backing us for the Wall Maria operation that will be taking place in a month."

"They probably don't even know what they're walking into," Eren said.

"At least we got some more people," Jean said, "Not a lot of veterans Scouts remains anymore after what happened with Reiner and Berthold."

I noticed the light tensing of his jaws at their name and from how sullen Connie and Sasha suddenly looked, the betrayal still stings for all of them. I let out a small sigh looking at my food but barely eating it.

"It's still hard to imagine," Sasha said, softly, "Annie…Berthold and Reiner…even after what happened. They're our enemies now."

"They've always been our enemies," Eren said forcefully, "We just didn't realize it, till it was too late."

"We just have to make them pay for that then," I spoke out, "All the lives they've taken from us, and when we meet them again."

"Sarah's right," Jean said, "They own us that at least."

I smiled lightly at him, but then something over his shoulder caught my eyes. I focused upon it wondering why it drew my attention but then I realized it soon enough why.

Sonja was standing at the other end of the room.

She looked very out of place in the military room dressed in the same white dress she always wore when I met her all those years ago. When I met her eyes across the room, the young woman face brightened as she raised a finger toward her lips in a 'shush' motion. With a light wink, Sonja turned away and walked past the soldiers who didn't even look at her direction at all.

Like they couldn't see her…

No one could see her… _no one except for me._

I jumped out of my seat, knocking my chair over at how sudden I moved. I heard the others asking me questions but I barely heard them at all. All of my attention was focused on Sonja's retreating form as she walked past the entrance of the room and I rushed to reach her. I hadn't expected to see her again, not since that day when I killed Kyle.

For her to reappear like this…

I rushed through the entrance of the diner and was now out of the courtyard, eagerly looking around hoping to catch a glimpse of that white dress, and even that long black hair but there was no sign of her at all. They were a few soldiers lingering around the area that we were in but other than that, there was no sign that Sonja was ever here at all.

Did I imagine seeing her again? But I couldn't have…it had been three years since the last time I saw her and for her to reappear now just when the memory of what had happened to Kyle returned to my mind…

 _Sarah…_

A soft familiar voice called in the wind causing me to tense up lightly, my eyes searching the surrounding again for her…

 _Where are you Sonja?_

"Sarah?"

I abruptly turned toward the voice, causing Mikasa to jump backward lightly at how sudden my movement was. Mikasa's dark eyes were alight with concern as she was looking at me. I stared at the girl in front of me for a few moments. It was like the world was stabilizing around me…the constant worry in my mind fading away lightly.

"You okay?" she asked, "You just ran off earlier without warning."

I stared at her for a few moments before catching her hand with my own and dragging her with me. Mikasa was surprised at my sudden strength but she didn't fight it at all.

"Wait…Sarah, where are we going?"

"Just come with me."

We continued forward passing past many soldiers and leaving most of the place behind as we were now walking together through the woods that surrounded the Scout HQ. Not many people came out here and with the sun slowly disappearing and the darkening sky, they would be no one here at all. I wanted to have a place alone with Mikasa…

I wanted to forget…

 _I want to feel something…_

Then I stopped walking, my breathing heavy with how quickly we were walking and I turned toward the dark haired girl behind me. Mikasa was still carrying her confusion upon her face but she didn't resist my pull at all. I took hold of her shoulders, staring at her dark obsidian eyes seeing how the sun shone against her pale skin…

I raised a hand toward her face, gently running my hand through her dark locks, feeling them falling through my fingers…They were much softer than they looked.

"Sarah…what's wrong?" she asked me, her voice still soft.

I can feel myself trembling as I took her features in. the soft white skin, the glittering black eyes, the pink lips…

"Mikasa… _kiss me please."_

The girl's eyes seem to widen slightly at the request. Her eyes were inquisitive now, almost like they could see right into my soul searing me. she leaned forward and took my lips with her owns. The kiss was soft and I held on to it with dear life as I returned it. I pulled her closer to me as the kiss deepened, feeling my senses with a smell that was uniquely Mikasa.

We continued to kiss for a few more moments, and I greedily savored every second of it before, she pulled back. She had her arms around my waist, holding me close to her form, and my own hands were at her neck holding her to me…The taste of her lips… _the taste of her_ was still upon my lips and I licked it wanting to savor it more.

"Are you going to tell me what's wrong with you?" she asked me softly, despite how heavy her breath was, "I know something is going on with you ever since we came back from the Ashler mansion. You've been reclusive and even more quiet than usual…"

I looked at her.

"Mikasa…I'm not a good person," I told her softly.

"Sarah…,"

"No…I'm not," I insisted, "I…I want to be. I desperately want to be. I joined the Scouts because I wanted to be…I wanted to fight for a cause that was good for humanity…good for everyone in the Walls but…no matter what I do, the past always catch up to me…"

I can feel tears falling from my eyes now.

"I lied to everyone Mikasa," I told her, completely babbling now, "Ever since I joined the Cadets I have been lying. I entered under a false name…Sarah Gray was everything good that I wasn't. She was so good with people, good at caring…good at being _better._ Narissa died protecting a liar…I wanted so badly to believe that I was good but I never was a good person."

I can feel gentle fingers wiping away my tears but I couldn't stop talking.

"I was wealthy…a noble, but my own father didn't want me. When Wall Maria fell, he abandoned me to my death. But good people took care of me. Maria only wanted me for the blood connection and Kyle…Kyle was so good Mimi…he tried so hard to take care of me after Maria passed the power to me…he was a good man… _and I killed him_ …I killed the one man that loved me as my father should have…I thought getting answers about the Ashler would have helped filled that void my mother left. I thought that I could finally feel some sense of accomplishment that this was for a good cause."

The image of Kyle lying on the ground in a pool of blood flashed before my eyes…

"But all it did was remind me of what I was…seeing her lying there it was just like how Kyle was…killed by the very person she loved."

Mikasa frowned lightly.

"What are you talking about?" she asked me.

I shook my head the memories flashing within my mind now as the tears continued to fall.

"She was the one who killed them…," I whispered, "Irma lured them all into her home and she placed a sleeping drug in their drinks…and she set fire to the mansion but Elza arrived just as she was doing it and the two of them fought. Irma had gone completely insane…she stabbed Elza many times but the girl managed to escape into the underground cavern…where she died…where we found her…"

I looked at her.

"Don't you see?" I asked her, begging her to realize what I did, "Elza was her lover…the person that stood by her all this time. As she killed her and she felt _nothing at all_. There was nothing in her thoughts…nothing in her heart…it was like the love they shared meant nothing to her at all."

I held Mikasa's face in my hands.

"And Elza…looked just like you," I told her, "She might have passed for your twin."

Mikasa's eyes widened.

"I saw her many times," I continued, "And somehow…I was in Irma's head and I saw Elza and called her Mikasa…that's why they knew our names…because I was the one who told them…because somehow, there is a connection between me and Irma despite her being dead for years…and I fear what happened to Irma will happens to me too."

Mikasa's gaze was intense now, like she was hanging on every words that I was saying.

"I fear it Mikasa…I fear it so badly," I whispered, "I fear that one day that I would become like her and could kill you feeling nothing at all."

"No…," Mikasa argued, " _You're nothing like her_. You're nothing like that woman at all."

"She is in my head Mikasa," I argued at her, "I can feel her so strongly now…ever since we were under that mansion and found Elza's body…she is in there…"

The voices were starting to whisper in my ears again. It was like the world had started talking around me and I raised my hands toward my ears wanting to block them out despite knowing how futile it was to stop it. Stepping away from Mikasa's hold feeling her still holding my arm, there was nothing but words and danger around me. I could barely hear what Mikasa was saying as the voices were becoming as loud as screams within my head…

I couldn't just bear it anymore so I feel something in my throat and vomited down upon the ground feeling the copper taste of blood upon my lips. The ground in front of me was coated with red as well as my clothing.

Someone was yelling my name but I could barely feel anything anymore and the last thing I saw was Mikasa's worried face and just off standing by the trees was a familiar dark-haired woman in a white dress that was observing us with calm, and empty golden eyes…

* * *

 **NO POV**

She was breaking.

Sonja could see it very well.

A soft smile grew upon her lips as she observed the fallen girl. The Ackerman girl had quickly picked up her fallen friend…lover? Back into her arms and rushed her out of the woods to get some help. Sonja watched them go with calm detached eyes.

The pieces were slowly starting to fall in place. the Path that was in her blood was strong and the connection opened between her and Irma was starting to tear away at the descendant of Anja. It's a shame she doesn't have anyone to help her control it. Anja had done her duty well to seal away the memories of the Outside World from her descendants.

She couldn't have Fritz knowing about their own secrets. It was still odd that Anja had decided to come here inside this false utopia. While her goals was her own, Sonja knew that the pieces that Anja had placed were slowly becoming alive once more.

"The paths must connect," she murmured softly to herself.

Sonja smiled again.

 _Just keep breaking Sarah,_ she thought to herself, _Just keep falling apart, piece by piece…I pushed you in that direction when you killed Kyle. I knew you felt the connection between us…that my dear was the Path that is in our blood. We are all individuals tied by strings in the larger scope of the universe…It is so beautiful Sarah…and I can't wait for you to see it for yourself._

She looked up toward the sky which was filled with webs of light as strings danced across the dark heavens.

 _And when you do, nothing in this world will matter. Love, friendship, companionship…will become meaningless…that void you feel within you only the Path can fulfill it. Only the path…can make you see just what you really are…and what that Titan you carry truly is._

* * *

 **A shocking revelation awaits...**

 **Next Time:** Ripple Effect

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	57. Ripple Effect

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Life got busy...but anyway, i managed to get this chapter done for yall.**

 **Thanks for the awesome reviews by the way.**

 **Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A reflection of Sarah with cracks in the mirror...

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Ripple Effect

There was a fluid of color around me. Along with the colors came feelings…so many feelings passing through my body that it made me feel sick. I didn't know how I was doing and didn't even know where I was. The voices were back and they were screaming by my ears all them melding together in a symphony of insanity that I had to raise my hand toward my ears to block them out…

But it was useless.

They voices were coming from within my own mind and there was nothing that I could do to block them…

" _SHUT UP_ ," I screamed out.

I fell to my knees into what seems to be water with both of my hands still held upon my ears. The voices suddenly stilled at my shout and a crushing silence took its place. it was a heavy one almost as if it had a pressure upon itself and was pushing down upon my body. My entire form was shaking where I was kneeling and I realized that I was wearing my soldier uniform.

Then I could hear something moving in the water causing me to look up toward the approaching sound. There was nothing but darkness all around me. I didn't even know where I was at first and I had no actual memory on how I got here…I didn't have any memory on why I was here in the first place however, there was still something heavy about this silence…it was like it was suffocating me.

"Hello Sarah,"

Sonja was standing right across me with both of her hands behind her back. The girl was wearing the same white dress I always saw her in in the past and she didn't look like she had aged a day either. She had the same small smile she wore when we first met, her golden eyes shining with mirth as she was observing me.

"Sonja…," I whispered.

The young woman chuckled.

"My…you sure have gotten taller since we last spoke," she said, "You're about as tall as I am."

I stared at her, shocked that she was actually here in front of me. Sonja tilted her head lightly, her eyes still taking me in.

"What's wrong?" she asked, "Aren't you happy to see me again."

I looked away from her, placing both of my hands upon my head. How can she be here in front of me? How can she be real? Is she even real? The questions were swirling within my mind at how many questions that were flashing within it.

"I must say…I am disappointed Sarah," Sonja continued, drawing my eyes toward her, "When we last spoke…you were making such progress…until you decided to forget about me completely."

"What are you talking about?" I asked her, "What progress?"

Sonja let out a soft hum.

"You really did forget…or many you didn't forget and simply turned it away?" she said, "The mind is quite a fascinating thing you know…someone can convince themselves that something had never happened if they believed it strongly enough…could it be that's what happened to you?"

I narrowed my eyes in anger.

" _Make sense damnit_?" I screamed at her.

Sonja's smile grew even more.

"I didn't make any progress with you," I continued, "All I did was…"

"Killed Kyle," Sonja finished, "I remember it…but it took finding Elza's corpse to make you remember the ugly part of yourself didn't it? Tell me when you decided to become Sarah Gray, what else did you hide away from yourself?"

I looked away at her.

 _Hide away from myself?_ I thought confused, _Just what is she talking about?_

"You're no different than Reiner," Sonja told me.

I snapped my attention at her.

" _What was that_?" I growled, rage growing within me.

"Reiner Braun was an enemy of the Wall," she told me, "But he started playing soldier with you all and somehow couldn't accept the fact of what he was doing…He created a split personality within himself. Switching from the enemy you know…to the boy that you spent three years training with…but not unlike him, your persona is finally cracking."

Sonja raised a hand and a image of myself appeared in front of me. The image of me was staring down at myself with empty eyes as she stood beside Sonja. The two were almost the same height and it seems Sonja was actually correct and saying that I was almost as tall as her.

"Sarah Gray was everything you wished to be isn't she?" Sonja said looking at the image standing beside her, "She was the girl that was willing to lay down her life for Humanity…just like dear Markus. The girl who trained herself to become a soldier…She is not perfect by all means, but she was a better version of yourself."

A light smile grew upon her lips.

"But that's all she was… _a beautiful lie_."

Sonja turned her gaze at me.

"Tell me that I am wrong Sarah," she said.

"You are…," I said, "You are wrong…"

Sonja laughed.

"I still can't believe you…even after remembering what you did to Kyle," she said.

"You were the one who told me to kill him."

Sonja raised an eyebrow.

"Oh…did I?" she asked, "All I told you was that he needed to be taken care of…I never said anything about killing him."

I froze.

 _What?_

Sonja smiled again.

"You could have lied to him," she said, "You could have placed a front for him…just as you have done for your father back in the REYNE mansion. It would have been easy…to place a front for him until you could enlist in the military… _you made the decision to kill him all on your own_."

I can feel shock and horror coursing through me at the thought of it. It couldn't have been my decision…there is no way I could have chosen this…

"No…there is no way…I couldn't have…?"

"Oh but you did Sarah," Sonja continued her face appearing beside my own, "Don't you remember how you went into the kitchen to get the knife…how it felt to bury it within his neck…how you stood there and watch him die…?"

As she was speaking the images were flashing in front of my eyes…the memory of me talking the knife from were it was lying on the counter…of me stabbing it into his neck and standing there watching him die and not feeling anything.

"Just as Irma did long ago," Sonja spoke her voice coming from around me and from the splash that were upon the water I was kneeling in, she must be walking around me, "I'm sure you can remember it well now. Finding Elza's corpse must have unlocked those memories within your mind. She invited her entire family to her mansion…her step mother and other aunts and their children. She drugged their drinks placing them into sleep and then… _burned them alive_."

Screams were now echoing within my head now as well as the sound of burning flames as well as the scent of burning flesh…

"NO…," I screamed, placing my hand to my ears, "NO…I don't want to remember…I'm not like her….I'm nothing like her…"

A soft laugh escaped from Sonja at my denials.

"It doesn't matter if you deny it…you and Irma have already been intertwined. You should have realized it by now," she said, "There is many things that should have clued you in by now but if you are going to be stubborn…I might as well clarify some things for you."

She raised her hand once more creating another person in front of me. Mikasa Ackerman stood across me now, her face devoid of all emotions as her black opaque eyes stared into me. She was dressed in her uniform with the red scarf around her neck.

"You fell in love with her the moment you met her didn't you?" she said, "And she is quite beautiful…I must admit but tell me isn't there something about her that seems oddly familiar to you? Something about her that reminds you of someone?"

I stared at Mikasa for a moment, my mind too full to think correctly…

 _She could have passed for your twin…_ the words whispered within my mind.

I can feel my eyes widening in shock as the realization was slowly starting to settle in.

"No…," I whispered.

A pleased look appeared upon Sonja's face as she realized the connection I am making.

"It can't be…," I whispered, shaking my head, " _It can't be…"_

 _There is no way that this is true…there was no way that something like that could be possible…_

"When you were a child," Sonja spoke out, "You experienced the memories of the Titan that you've inherited. All of it's memories…past, present… _and even future_. The same thing happened to every people who've inherited it…and most of them were driven mad by it. The madness that always followed our family is the madness of those who could not handle the memories that it possessed. In your childhood, somehow, you latched upon Irma's memories and that caused some sort of ripple effect you might say."

Sonja raised a finger as she continued her explanation.

"It's why Irma was somehow able to see your memories despite the fifty years that separated the two of you," she told me, "It's why she saw the Fall of Wall Maria, an event that wouldn't have happened till fifty years later…why she knew yours and Mikasa's name."

"But that's impossible," I said, " _I wasn't even born yet_."

A grin grew upon her lips.

"And yet, because of that," she said, "created the chains of events that would lead to your birth…and the extinction of the Ashler bloodline within the Walls. It was always said that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause destruction on the other side of the world. I guess they never imagined the same could be said across time as well."

I shook my head, feeling sick within my stomach.

"I don't believe you," I murmured, "I can't…I can't believe you…I can't…"

Suddenly, she took hold of my face within her hands forcing me to look at her.

" _How long are you going to deny it_?" she yelled, "How long are you going to run away from the truth Sarah? Are you going to run away all your life…away from who you really are? Are you going to deny the blood that is on your hands despite the evidence of it in your memories? Are you going to deny the name Ashler despite being so proud of taking it back…of no longer having to hide to survive?"

Something wet hit my cheeks at that moment and my eyes widened taking in the sight of the tears that were falling from Sonja's eyes. She was crying as she was looking down at me, a terrible sadness upon her features as she was looking at me.

"How long are you going to be a bird in a cage?" she whispered her voice going soft, " _How long are going to deny me?"_

I stared at her, my eyes wide with shock at the emotions that was in her voice.

"I thought you would have become more in all those years since we last spoke," she continued, "But all you did was create more chains around yourself? Sarah Gray was a bird that didn't know how to fly…she was a lie…and she believed in the lie of this world and lie your King showed you…"

She gently caressed my cheeks, the tears continuing to fall upon my skin…

"You have to open your eyes Sarah," she said, "Open your eyes to the lie that is around you..."

I stared into her golden eyes, searching. I raised my hands toward her face taking it within my palms. I can feel the warmth of her skin against my hand and the hair that brushed between my fingers. We both stared at each other for I don't know how long and yet I as I stared into her eyes, I can feel something linking our minds together just like it had been back then.

"The path must connect," I whispered softly.

" _And the light will show the way_ ," she said.

"For the blood I carry is our Ancestors," I continued.

"And their blood will carry to our descendants," Sonja added.

"As it has been done since the beginning," I added.

"And shall it be done till the end of times," Sonja finished.

We both stared at each other some more and I feel my eyes widening at knowing something that I have never heard before in my life.

"How…How did I know that?" I asked shocked.

Sonja smiled.

"Because I know it," she said.

Her tears have stopped and yet there was this look in her eyes that seems to cut right through me…

"You're starting to fly little bird," she said.

She started to pull away from me but I held on to her.

"No…not yet," I asked quickly.

She looked at me again.

"I don't know…," I started before pausing losing the words of what I wanted to ask her, "I don't know how to be…me."

There was pity within her gaze now. Her hands gently caressed the side of my face, almost like a mother's touch with her child like they wanted to chase a nightmare away.

"I'm sorry," she said, "But that's something you're going to have to do on your own after all, that's what it means to be free. To not be chained…but to soar to the sky unbound by anything."

She leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss upon my forehead then she whispered.

" _Just remember…don't be a pawn."_

And my vision filled with white.

* * *

I opened my eyes finding myself staring at a wooden ceiling. The sun was shining brightly from the window beside me and I turned my gaze toward it finding that it was around midday or something. I pulled myself up to my feet, placing a hand upon my forehead. The strange images within my head had appeased themselves somewhat.

Shaking the thoughts away the door of the room opened and Captain Hange walked in. Seeing me seating up, her face brightened.

"Sarah…nice of you to finally wake up," she said, "I thought you'd be sleeping for another day or so but with Titan healing…I guess you're healing faster than a normal human."

"Captain Hange?" I said surprised, "What happened to me?"

She blinked.

"Well…Mikasa was the one who ran you toward us saying that you've vomited blood and you were in a serious fever as well," the woman said as she approached me, placing a hand upon my forehead, "Huh…no sign of the fever at all…"

"Can I see Mikasa?" I asked her.

She blinked.

"Er…sure," she said, "But are you sure you're alright?"

I smiled up at her.

"Never better."

She seemed put off at the smile but she nodded at me leaving the room behind. It didn't take long for Mikasa to enter the room. I looked at her as she did so and a stab of desire flashed through me at the sight of her. I couldn't help the light smile that grew upon my lips at that. At least the feelings I had for her were my own and not Irma's…

"Sarah…you're awake," she said, "How are you feeling? Is the fever gone?"

When she was close enough, I took hold of her arms and pulled her close to me, taking her into a hug burrowing my head in between her breasts. The familiar scent that was purely Mikasa invaded my nose and I could hear the sound of her heartbeat thudding beneath my ear.

"Sarah," she said and I can hear the surprise in her voice.

"I…missed you Mimi," I told her.

I can hear the soft laugh she let out her arms encircling my body.

"Missed you too these past two days," she said, "You really scared me, you know."

"I'm sorry," I told her.

She ran a hand through my hair.

"It's okay," she said, "I'm just glad you're alive."

I pulled out of the hug looking up at her. Mikasa looked down at me as she still had a hand upon my head. There was a light worry within her dark gaze but she had a small smile upon her lips that was not hidden by the scarf she usually wear. The scarf wasn't upon her at all and it made me wonder where she had left it briefly and I was glad she wasn't wearing it now for it gave me a great view of her neck…

I want to nip at it, place my own mark there so that everyone should know she was mine.

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asked, "What you were saying before you collapsed…"

"Don't worry about it Mimi," I told her, "What we found down the Ashler mansion brought up some bad memories that's all…I'm okay now…I've made peace with it and with myself. There is nothing else to worry about."

Mikasa didn't seem convinced but she relented.

"If you're sure," she said, "Eren and Armin were worried too…I could go get them…"

"No," I told her, "Stay here a little longer and maybe…we can share a few kisses too."

A light blush appeared upon her cheeks at my suggestion making her look adorable in front of me but she relented, leaning forward and I caught her lips with mine. The surge of desire was strong within me as we kissed and I savored every moment of it. There was even some tongue action between us as the kiss deepened.

The kiss ended and I licked my lips staring up at her. Her eyes had darkened considerably as she stared at me.

"You should get yourself ready," she said her voice lightly husky, "You haven't eaten in two days."

"Get a plate for me will you?"

She smiled at me and she gave me a quick kiss again before walking out of the room. I watched her go for a moment before pulling myself out of bed and into the washroom where the mirror was. My reflection stared back at me with the two golden eyes staring back at me. I looked at my reflection for a few moments before repeating the poem that I had learned.

 _The path must connect,_

 _And the light will show the way,_

 _For the blood I carry is our Ancestors,_

 _And their blood will carry to our descendants,_

 _As it had been done since the beginning,_

 _And shall it be till the end of times._

I opened the water washing my hands and hair before pulling it back from my face. My eyes glared at the reflection in front of me.

"I am no longer a bird in a cage," I said, "I am no longer a slave of the Walls."

A small smirk appeared upon my lips.

" _I AM FREE."_

* * *

 **Freedom awakens...**

 **Next Time:** Countdown

 **AN:** **I am planning a POV shift after they reach the Ocean like they did in the original story. I know it might not be popular given the situation but I will plan to tell on how the Gray Titan get to Paradis Island during that and about the Ashler family and their home country. I was quite fascinated with the pov shift in Attack on titan and i wanted to do it in my story as well but don't worry it might not be for long before i return to Sarah and the others...Just wanted to give you guys a heads up where i am taking the story after the Shingashina Arc.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	58. Countdown

**Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Life got pretty busy and couldn't write much but enjoy this one.**

 **R &R**

 **WARNING: lime ahead in this chapter...**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah holding a flower in her hand as a Scout flag danced above her...

Chapter Fifty-Eight

Countdown

The room was quite nice with the late afternoon sunlight shining through the window at the end. Two cups of tea were steaming upon the table as I was looking back toward the city outside. Being summoned into the city by Queen Historia had been a surprise for me since I wasn't really sure what she wanted to talk about in the first place but it was a good way to get out of the Scout Headquarters which was filled with new recruits who had joined recently. Looking at them all, they were all bright eyed with no tint of darkness within their gaze at all and it makes me wonder if my eyes ever looked like that somehow.

I turned my gaze toward my companion.

Queen Historia was dressed in a simple dress made of silk. It was the same color as snow with little golden flower design upon it. The young woman was seeping gently upon her cup. Her long blond hair was falling upon her shoulder and in the light of the sun seems to almost glow similar to gold. I couldn't help the light smile that grew upon my lips at the sight of her. Historia was always beautiful to look at back in our Cadet days and I knew that there were number of people who had crushes upon the short girl. Looking at her now, I can see why they would.

"Being a Queen suits you," I said softly.

She looked up at me, her blue eyes flashing lightly.

"It would help if I knew what I was doing half the time," she answered placing her cup upon the table, "But thanks to our Cadet training, I can think through many things rationally and make some decision…of course, I have older advisors who know the system well to explain things I don't understand."

"Good for them," I said leaning back on my chair, "But how are you doing really?"

A soft smile.

"I am fine Sarah," she said, "You don't need to worry about me. You and the others are what I worry about most given the reports I have been getting from Premiere Zackary. You are starting to prepare to go to Wall Maria aren't you?"

"That's the gist of it," I answered her, "In a few weeks we'll be heading out to Shingashina and take back all the lands that were lost five years ago. Feel strange really, after everything that had happened, taking back Wall Maria was like a dream but now, it's actually possible to accomplish."

Historia let out a soft hum.

"The Scouts have the people behind them now, and even I am hoping for a victory," she said, "Maybe like that, we'll finally know the truth about this world and the reason things are the way they are now."

I looked at her before turning my gaze toward the window again.

"We will," I told her, "I…I just feel like the truth might not what we expect it to be."

Historia glanced at me.

"How so?" she asked.

"When you told me about my family, the Ashler," I explained, "I thought that the truth that I will find would be able to help me understand how things ended up as they are but the truth was more complex than I thought. It wasn't so black and white as I first believed…but the truth that is waiting for us in Shingashina is about the whole world. I feel like it's going to bring a whole lot of answers and a whole lot of problems as well…"

Historia let out a small sigh.

"Ymir could have told us," she said.

I glanced at her.

"All that time she was with us," the small blonde woman spoke out, her tone somber, "Even after what happened with Eren in Trost, she kept her mouth shut."

"Maybe that was her way of protecting you," I said.

Historia glanced at me.

"The only reason Ymir sided with Reiner and Berthold was because of you," I told her, "She was a selfish bitch sure but, above all else, she wanted you to be at her side. She may have passed herself as unpleasant individual but now looking back at it, she was just a scared child backed into a corner. Whatever Reiner and Berthold were, she was more terrified of them than of us…. makes you wonder really, what's the real state of the world beyond the Walls?"

There was a short silence between the two of us.

"Something's different about you," Historia said after a while.

I smiled inwardly.

"How so?"

"I don't know yet," Historia answered, "But it's different…what did you learn about the Ashler? What really happened to them?"

I stayed silent for another moment thinking about everything that I had learn these past few days.

"That people will do terrible things to each other to protect either themselves or what they love," I told her.

Historia tilted her head lightly. She didn't truly understand my words, I can see it upon her features thought she could somewhat understand the upper layer of it after all, on the orders of the Reiss family, many terrible things were done within the Walls to protect their secrets…

There was a knock on the door drawing our attention and a man entered inside.

"My Queen," he spoke out with a light bow of his head, "It's time for the meeting."

Historia nodded.

"Thank you Marve," she said with a light nod.

"Duty calls," I said standing up as she did as well.

"Thank you for coming Sarah," she said looking at me with a light smile.

"It was a royal summon," I told her, "I couldn't refuse even if I wanted to."

She got a look upon her face.

"But…I'll always be there for my friends," I finished.

"Will you be returning to the Scout HQ?" she asked as the two of us walked toward the door.

"Not yet," I told her, "I have some matters I wish to take care of before I return. With everything that had been going on I hadn't had time to do so."

"I see," Historia said, "But thank you for coming all the same."

I gave her a bow.

"Of course, my Queen," I said softly.

Historia gave me a light smile before walking away with the man that came for her as they were already falling into conversation with one another. Letting out a soft hum, I walked to opposite direction from her making my way out of the building. Dressed in my formal military clothing, I made my way toward the carriage location and climbed into a public one.

"Stohess District," I told the driver.

The driver nodded and the carriage was off.

* * *

 **Stohess District**

"You've kept me waiting."

Hitch Dreiss was standing by the lake as I approached toward the other soldier. She had a light scowl upon her face as she stared at me approaching her and I couldn't help the small smile upon my lips at the sight of her. It had been some time since we last met each other and already I couldn't help but feel like teasing her a little bit. Her silver hair was the same as I remembered it to be when we last met.

"It's been a while honorable recruit," I smiled.

"Don't call me that," she snapped.

I chuckled.

"I had a meeting with the Queen," I told her as we walked side by side, "I couldn't simply refuse a royal summon Hitch, no matter what. I'm just grateful that my letter reached you about what we talked about while we were on the run."

"I was starting to think you've forgotten," Hitch answered giving me a sideway glance.

"I don't forget important things like that," I answered her, "How are things with you and the MPs since the change in government?"

"They've changed a little," she answered me, "But not that much. The MPs reputation is a little sullied with what had happened but most of the superior's ass are on fire because of the corruption that were in the ranks. The Commander is pulling our weight and have everyone on schedule for once."

She chuckled.

"Oh and Marlo switched Regiment," she said, "Chose the Scouts…the idiot."

"I know," I told her, "I saw him among the new recruits…I wasn't really surprised at his decision to be honest. The young man seems to be quite…taken by us last time we met."

"He is an idiot," Hitch said, "He should just have stayed here in the MPs but nooo, he had to go and do the stupid thing and join the regiment that has the highest death ratio."

I let out a small smile.

"You care for him a lot huh," I said.

"Don't be ridiculous," Hitch growled.

I chuckled.

"You don't have to hide it, I can tell from how you're talking. Boys are kind of simple minded most of the time. They could never pick up on the certain nuance we gave them…that's why I prefer the other team."

Hitch game a deadpan look.

"What?"

She sighed.

"Should have known," she said, "When that girl keeps looking our way like that…"

I was confused.

"What girl?"

"The dark-haired girl in your team, the one with the scarf" she said, "Look like she could kill with a single look…"

"Mikasa isn't the jealous type," I told her waving my hand, "We're not even dating…I think."

"Could have fooled me," Hitch retorted.

We reached the place we were going and made straight for her room. It was quite lighter up than the Scout's barrack that's for certain and I was looking around at the stuff within the room. They were two beds within the room one that look like it hadn't been touched in some ways.

"That's Annie's bed," Hitch said pointing at the untouched bed, "And those are some of her stuff that are still here."

I made my way toward the bag that was there. I recognized it from our Cadet days as the same bag she had when we had class in the past. Digging through it, it was only filled with some notebooks and a few other things that were mostly about lessons and other things. I searched her desk but there was nothing of remote significance among it.

"Nothing at all," I murmured taking a seat upon the bed after an hour of searching through Annie's things, "There was nothing at all to be found."

"What were you hoping you would find anyway?" Hitch asked.

"Something about her past," I said, "Something about her secrets she could have written down but there was nothing at all. I guess, I can understand that at least. If you're going to infiltrate some place, the less information you write down the less chance of you being caught."

I let out a sigh.

"I guess she took all of her secrets with her," I murmured, remembering the cocoon of crystal that Annie was in right now.

I glanced at Hitch who was staring at me with a pensive look upon her face.

"Thank you for this Hitch," I told her.

"Sorry it wasn't much help," she told me with a light shrug.

"It helped enough," I told her standing up, "All of those people who came here from beyond the Walls kept their secrets to themselves but when we take Wall Maria back, those secrets will finally be brought back to light…"

"You crazy Scouts really don't know when to stop do you?" Hitch sighed.

I couldn't help the grin.

"It's what we're willing to pay so that the people here can have freedom," I told Hitch.

The girl seems saddened for a few moments.

"they have been a lot of positive buzz about the Scouts lately," she said, "If you pull this off, all of you will be heroes…a lot of people seems to forget just how many dies in those Expedition you all went through…"

I took a seat beside her.

"Sounds like you're worried."

"Of course I'm worried," Hitch said, "It's…one of the reason I join the MPs, so I don't have to deal with that much death…but with happened in Stohess when the two Titans battled there, makes one realize that you can't run from it forever…sooner or later, it will catch up to you."

I raised a hand, catching her chin between my fingers and turned her head toward me. Her eyes were wide at my action but I continued to stare at her, taking in the shade of her eyes. Hitch was a pretty girl, hardened by being in the military but still, a pretty one.

"Then how about we make some nice memories then?" I asked her.

Her eyes widened in shock.

"Are you seriously asking me that?" she asked, "What about that girl…?"

"She and I are not dating," I told her simply, "Even if we were…what she doesn't know can't hurt her now can it?"

The smile upon my lips widened lightly.

"What do you say then Hitch?" I said softly, as the atmosphere within the room changed.

There was silence within the room.

"You crazy Scout," she breathed.

I leaned forward tasting her breath against my lips.

" _You have no idea."_

Then I took them within my own. It was a hard kiss and Hitch wasted no time answering me as our lips worked together. She pulled herself closer to me, her body melding into my own as our kiss deepened. Her hands went to my hair, gripping them, while my own arms were around her waist, pulling the girl upon my lap.

It wasn't long before we were stripping each other of our clothing, wanting to meld our skin together and how warm her skin was against my own. She was soft, her skin pale and gentle. She had some light muscle from training with the ODM gear and military training but all in all, her body reflected the regiment she was part of.

It wasn't long before I had her under me, suckling upon any part of skin that I could find hearing her gasp and moans, her nails digging into my back. I had one of my legs against her center as I rocked into the smaller girl into the bed and her body arced into my own as we continued to fuck. There was nothing romantic about the experience at all, just pure lust and desire as we kissed, nipped at each other's skin and explored each other's bodies. Hitch was unusually experienced with her tongue drawing some long moans from me as well.

I couldn't help but wanting to taste her as well, wanting to make her scream so loud in pleasure…

I wanted to mark her as much as possible…

When we were done enjoying each other's body to our heart's content, I can feel her hand around my waist as she gently touched my skin. We were both as naked as the day we were born, the bed sheets lazily thrown over our body as moonlight shone within the room.

"I knew you were no virgin," I told her.

Hitch chuckled, "You didn't seem like one either."

I smiled, "Well…I have a lot of inspiration to draw from."

"Let me guess…smut novels?"

"Couldn't really find one during boot camp," I answered with a light shrug, "No…just some techniques I learned while playing the flute."

Hitch snorted.

"Seriously?"

"There is a lot of finger works when you play the flute," I told her, "You seems to enjoyed it much from your moans earlier."

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Who was your first?" I asked her.

"Some girl back during our training," she answered with a shrug, "There was a rumor going on about her back then…that she was into women. Of course, I didn't believe it and one night we did it behind the supplies building. She had me against the wall and her fingers in my pussy…best moment of my life…it hurt at first but then I enjoyed it."

A sudden grin appeared upon her lips.

"I much enjoyed you more."

I rolled my eyes.

"I'm surprised that no one interrupted," I said looking at the door, "We got a little loud."

"There is no one here," Hitch answered, "Most of them are probably still at the bar drinking themselves to a stupor or at a whore house fucking…"

She suddenly pulled herself on top of me, staring down at me.

"That just give me more time to enjoy you Sarah,"

"Not satisfied yet are you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She licked her lips, her eyes roaming over my body.

" _The night is still young,"_ she purred, her voice oozing sex, "And I have yet to play you like a flute."

I chuckled as she took my lips with her own yet again.

* * *

 **Some Days later…**

The Rogue Titan let out a powerful roar as he launched a fist toward me causing me to raise my arm and block it. His coated knuckles slammed into my arm causing me to be pushed back by the strength behind it but all the while, pieces of armored skin broke away from my arm as I feel the bone there crack. I jumped backward landing back upon the ground in a crouch as I stared at the opponent across me.

I glanced down at the injury seeing the wound and I was surprised to see he had managed to break through the armor of my skin, something that he wasn't able to do before. I couldn't help the smirk growing upon my lips.

 _Well, what do you know…look like you finally managed it Eren,_ I thought looking at the Rogue Titan, _knew you could do it eventually and if you can manage that than Reiner's armor won't stand a chance against you._

The signal smoke rose in the air signaling the end of the experiment. I kneeled down toward the ground and focused upon my real body again. The vision from my Titan's eyes disappeared and then I pulled myself from the fleshy prison of my Titan's nape. I still the cool breeze hitting my skin compared to the heat of the Titan's skin. With my gear still intact, I pulled myself from the Titan body and lowered myself back unto the ground.

"This experiment is complete," Hange was saying, "Look like he managed to finally break through your armor Sarah…and if he can do that, then me might be able to do the same to Reiner if we ever fought against him."

I glanced at her.

"Well, those Thunder Spears of yours might also do the trick," I told her.

Hange got that grin upon her face at the thought of the latest invention the Scouts has. She had showed it to us a few days ago and I must say I was quite surprised at how much damage it could do. That thing had enough power to tear a tree in half with the explosive force that it had.

"It's true," Hange told me, "But they are too many risks in using them and with the preparation going on, a lot of people need to be trained for them to be used properly…we're getting close to finish this."

I glanced at Eren who was with Mikasa and Armin was there as they were talking, I couldn't help the small rush that grew within me that the success we just had.

 _The gap is getting smaller…and the countdown to Wall Maria has become shorter…and any moments now, we will be ready to head out…ready to take back to lands that was stolen from us five years ago…_

* * *

 **The Time to move out grow smaller...**

 **Next Time:** The Night Before the Departure

 **Author's Note: Yeah, that scene with Hitch...All i can say is that it wasn't really planned but i ended up writing it anyway...yeah just don't expect anything to grow from that except that the two girls will still be close friends that just happened to have sex with each other that one time.**

 **the main pairing of this fic is still Sarah/Mikasa but with what's coming up don't expect things to go well considering Attack on Titan is a fucking tragedy most of the time and depressing shit happening a lot of in the story.**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**


	59. The night before Departure

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new one.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Eren, Armin and Mikasa seating together as they were looking up toward the stars above them...

Chapter Fifty-Nine

The Night Before the Departure

I wonder, what type of secrets are waiting for us in that cellar in Shingashina?

I never actually stopped to think about it. In the beginning when I first learned of it from Eren back during the Trost Operation, I was in disbelief that a secret like that could even exist in the first place. I was confused as to why there was such a secret so close to us and yet so far away. In the beginning, the secret was believed to be about the Titans and breaking free from the hundred-year foothold they had upon the walls and maybe be able to see the truth for what it was. However, with the Reiss family and everything that had happened with Historia and the truth that was revealed about the world, about the memories that were stolen from the people in the Walls.

Realization came that even our own King wanted to keep us blind of the truth, that they were factions within the Wall who wanted to keep us in the dark, the secret that was kept from us was something that we were all guilty of.

But now, we were only days away from departure to Wall Maria and reclaiming the lands that was lost from us. I let out a small smirk grow upon my lips.

 _Maybe when we learn that secret in the basement, we'll actually have an idea of the threats we'll be facing other than Titans and Titan-shifters…_

"…Hitch tried to convince you to stay in MP?" Sasha asked drawing my attention back toward the conversation that was going on around me.

I glanced up at the table I was seating, glancing down toward where Sasha was speaking with Marlo, who was a recent recruit of the Scouts. He was one of the few hopefuls that had joined our ranks because of the recent success we've been having. They were many new recruits that have switched from other regiments to join the Scouts wanting to join in on the new wave.

"Wait Hitch?" Marlo said with a confused tone in his voice, "How come?"

"Because she is a thirsty girl…and she thinks you a tall glass of water," Sasha let out sounding like she was on the verge of laughter.

"Can't say that I follow," Marlo said, his tone serious, "Hitch did tell me off before…saying that I wasn't cut out to be a real soldier. She told me to stop acting cool and coast along in life. I thought she was better than that so I told her I was wrong about her."

I let out a sigh, pitching the bridge of my nose at the cluelessness of the guy.

 _No wonder she calls him an idiot._

"Asshole," Jean said exasperated.

"Are you that dumb Marlo?"

"No brain under that bowl cut," Sasha commented.

"Calm down, he didn't say anything wrong," Eren added out wanting to keep things cool.

I let out a small snort from where I was seating beside Mikasa.

"With that attitude Eren, you'll never get a girlfriend," I told him pointing my fork at his direction.

That caused Connie and Sasha to chortle at the boy as he let out an irritated huff. I sworn I saw a grin on Jean's face at the comment I made and even Armin seems to be trying not to laugh.

"C'mon Sarah," the boy said, "What does that have to do with anything?"

I grinned lightly.

"You know you' kind of proving my point with how you're reacting," I teased him, "It's amazing despite everything that had happened, you're so innocent when it comes to girls."

Eren didn't say anything thought he looked like he was blushing. Jean shook his head at him and turned his gaze toward Marlo again.

"Anyway, you should know that the only people as excited about this upcoming expedition are you new recruits with no real battle experience," the boy said seriously.

"Give me a break, you think you're some hardened veteran now?" a voice asked from behind him.

A young man had stood up from the table that was behind him and he came to stand beside Jean seated form. I looked at him, with a light frown upon my features. He had chocolate brown hair and a long face as he looked down toward us with small confident smirk upon his face.

"I know I am," Jean said, "Compared to you at least."

"That's rude," the boy said, "We were in the 104th same as you and besides, we were not the only one excited. Everyone in the Walls is. We're taking Wall Maria back, we're finally winning."

I let out a small chuckle at that drawing the boy's attention toward where I was seating.

"Something you found funny?"

"It's not that," I said, waving my hand away, "It's just that I realized Hitch was right about something."

"Really?" Marlo said, "And what is that?"

"That people seem to forget just how high the casualty rate is for the Scouts whenever there is an Expedition," I spoke out looking at the boy, "Listening to you talk is like listening to a naïve optimist about how the situation really is. I found it kind of funny that's all."

I grinned lightly at him.

"Don't think that just because we were once part of the same class means anything right now," I told him simply, "After all, while you were probably living comfortably within the Walls since graduation, I am sure the news reached you of what we've been doing since then."

The young man seems to pale lightly as he was staring at all of us. The table had become dead silent as we were all staring at the young man, wanting to hear what he wanted to say. He swallowed a little bit as if suddenly nervous for being the center of attention all of a sudden.

"Well…something do seems different…," he said, "the look on your faces…what really happened to you guys?"

"Want to know?" Jean asked in a low voice.

The fresh recruit suddenly shook his head.

"No…I'll ask some other time," he said before walking off.

I stared at his turned back for a few moments before shaking my head lightly at the boy's arrogance. None of them had any idea of what it's really like out there and given who our enemies are, they were a good chance that not many of us are going to make it back from this expedition.

"Well, I'm out," Connie said getting to his feet.

"Really?"

"Yeah, tomorrow is supposed to be a prep day," the young man said, "I plan to head out to my village in the morning…maybe I'll find something new. Good night ya'll."

As he walked away, I let out a small sigh thinking about Connie's village. It had been completely destroyed and with the news of what had happened to the citizen by turning them into Titans…it was one of the truths that shook many of us when we learned it. Titans are nothing more than people turned against their wills.

"Think we can turn Connie's mom back to normal someday?" Sasha asked quietly, "I mean…it's not impossible right?"

"If our knowledge about Titans continue to improve…then maybe," Armin guessed.

I placed the bread I was holding in my hand on my plate.

"There is nothing that can be done for her," I said softly, "The kindest thing anyone can do is strike at the nape and end her."

"Sarah…that's cold hearted," Sasha said, dismayed.

I stared at her, my voice as hard as stone.

"It's the truth…," I told her, "running away from it isn't going to chance the reality of what had happened."

 _An image of the dead Kyle passed within my mind as I stood there watching him die…_

"Might as well kill her before she eat someone," I said simply standing up, "After all, if Titans are people, given all the Titans we've been killing since we've become Scouts…what makes one Titan any different than the rest?"

"What if was someone you know?" Sasha argued suddenly standing up, and sounding angry, "What if it was one of us that was like that? Would you not care at all?"

I stared at the girl for a moment. Was she seriously asking me this? She was a member of the Scouts whose job is to kill Titans and yet, she was asking me what I would be doing if one of us somehow became a Titan?

"I would not hesitate," I said simply, "To strike at the nape. You may think of me cruel as much as you like Sasha, but what I am giving you is a mercy out of the endless nightmare you're thrown in."

I turned away from her walking away from them.

* * *

My horse thundered through the empty path in the midmorning day. It was quite a bright sun that shone down on me as I continued through the path, feeling the powerful horse following beneath me. Since Souris had died during the Siege at Utgard Castle, I had acquired a new brownish red horse who I named Red Mare. It wasn't a very enthusiastic name but it was easy to remember for me.

Frowning lightly, I noticed that I was getting close to my location and slowed the animal down to a light trot. A large clearing was visible right in front of me and I couldn't help the light nostalgic feeling that was rushing through me at the moment. This was the same exact place where I used the spent so much time with Sonja before I knew what she was back when Aunt Maria had passed the Titan power to me and the power that was thrumming within me right now.

I descended the horse and tied the reins to a nearby tree before walking into the clearing by myself. A fresh breeze danced through the grass around me causing me to smell the smell of the forest hit my nose and I couldn't help but take a deep breath.

"Irma really loved forests," I spoke looking out toward the clearing, "She always believed that they were when she felt her happiest. Her memories of the past are so strong that sometimes I forget they are not my own and yet, when I tried to reach further back…I'll I see is a fog and shadows."

I let out a small smile before turning my attention toward the grave that was halfway hidden under the shade of a tree. I walked toward it and kneeled down in front of it.

"But…despite how things ended with you and her," I continued looking at the grave, "Her feelings for you are still alive through me and they've led me straight to another of your Orient descendants. I doubt you were the same as her but it would seem that…despite our differences, we were joined together like you and Irma did once…"

"I don't know how my memories managed to affect your lives," I continued, "But I hope you can forgive me for it. I tried not to think about the what ifs…what would have happened if my memories never interfered with Irma's. Would the Ashler still be living today?"

I raised a hand and touched the stone…

A spark shoot out within my hand as a memory was brought forward in my mind…

 _There were trees around me and I was walking through the trees with Elza following after me. I could feel anger rising through my form as I looked at the dark-haired woman…but I was also feeling some joy as well._

" _You shouldn't have come Elza," I told her, "I had it all under control."_

 _Elza had a disbelieving look upon her face, "They were taking you to the Reiss Chapel. You know what happens down there don't you? They were going to take your Titan away…"_

" _They wouldn't," I said, or well Irma said with a frown, "Olivar would have been there and I would have taken the Founding Titan's power by killing him. That power would have been my own and since I have the blood of the Fritz family, I would have been able to end the Titan's reign outside the Walls."_

" _You don't know that," Elza said, "Jura said Olivar changed when he was given the Power…"_

 _I…Irma let out a growl._

" _It's pointless discussing this," she said turning to face her, "Just why are you here? You should be in Trost right now with your mother. I had given you more than enough money to live comfortably and even changed your names so that they wouldn't find you…"_

 _Elza took hold of her._

" _I am not leaving you alone Irma."_

 _The two women stared at each other and it was like all of their history were crashing down between them in the heavy silence. The forbidden romance that they shared with each other, the hurt and anguish that was between them since they've parted way for months…_

" _I made a mistake," Elza spoke out, "And I am sorry…I shouldn't have left when you needed me. I should have been stronger…I should have fought harder, but…I just wasn't strong enough. Everything you've said about Sarah and the Wall being destroyed by a Colossal Titan…it scared me Irma…it scared me that you'll fall to the same madness that took so many of your family…"_

 _She had tears falling from her dark eyes and Irma felt her heart throb lightly at this. She truly was a lovely thing, she thought looking at her. However, something about Sarah struck out within her mind. The memory of the Colossal Titan was Sarah's memory, Irma knew this but this would mean that it hadn't happened yet…_

"The path must connect," I whispered to her.

 _Irma stiffened as if she had heard my voice. The young woman stood there for a moment, and in her mind was a swirl of emotions as if she had just had a realization. She turned away from Elza, a light smile working upon her lips._

" _Come on then," she spoke looking back at Elza, "If you want to help then come with me…I think I figured out a way to…connect the path."_

Then I was back to myself, blinking as I stepped away from the grave I touched. I feel something dripping from my nose, so I used my hand to wipe it away. Crimson trails were upon my fingers as I stared down at it for a few moments, surprised that I was bleeding. The only time that had happened so far was when I overused my Titan power…but I didn't even use it yet.

Didn't I?

I stood up from my kneeling position and turned away from the grave. I had some prepping to do before everything is set for the departure to Shingashina…

And to the truth of what await us in the cellar.

* * *

On the night before our departure, they threw a feast for us in celebration of going back and taking Wall Maria. I wasn't really into it at all but I did manage to get some meat before leaving the room thought from the uproar coming from inside the room, they seem to be having a party right about now. However, I had simply decided to seat outside upon the steps looking out toward the light up city of Trost, knowing that we'll be leaving the Wall to get back to Shingashina.

"I'm surprise you're not with the others," a familiar voice spoke out.

Captain Levi was there holding a cup in his hand as the man stared down at me. he was dressed in normal clothing, thought he still had that ever present scowl upon his features. The man took a seat beside me, holding upon the cup in his hand.

"I was never one for celebration," I answered him, "Even as a kid…. never had much good memories of things like that."

"Not a happy childhood then," Levi guessed.

I nodded.

"It's difficult to be happy knowing that not many of us are going to make it back from the Expedition."

"I'm sure it's a worry that they all have," Levi answered, "But we've got to make those days we are together count…after all, it might be the last many of them will share together."

I stayed silent for a moment, thinking about what he said.

"From how you said it," I mused, "You sound like you're speaking from experience….but then again, as a Scout you might have seen more comrades die than any of us….i wonder, how many friends will I see died before this is over."

The noise from the feast grew stronger and I could hear people shouting about a fight going on within it. Levi let out a tch sound from his lips before he stood up from where he was seating when we were enjoying the silence together.

"I told them that having a feast was a bad idea," the small man said, "You best head to bed…I'm going to put an end to this farce."

I couldn't help the chuckle that escaped from me.

"Yes sir."

I picked up the cup I had with me and left the place as Levi made his way toward the building probably going to put an end to the fight that was going on right now. The barracks were empty and I made my way straight at my bed and with the light on. I made my way toward the bed and went through my clothing for my sleep clothes as the door of the room opened again letting in the rest of the girls that were staying with us. They were all talking loudly about the feast and the fight that was going on but I didn't pay any attention to any of them, focusing on what I was doing.

Knowing that they won't fall asleep anytime soon, I made my way out of the barrack and sat upon the steps looking up toward the night sky above. It was quite cool tonight, letting my mind wander about many things and nothing at once. I can feel tiredness reaching me as I sat there in silence the voice behind me softening from the talks going on.

"Sarah?"

It was Mikasa and the girl was blinking at me seeing me seating upon the steps.

"Hey Mikasa," I smiled at her.

"I didn't see you at the feast," she said taking a seat beside me.

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Wasn't a big fan," was my answer, "Thought I could hear you guys from how loud you were."

Mikasa nodded glancing at the sky again. Her expression seems sad in way and I was curious about it.

"Something wrong?" I asked her.

"Just thinking," she answered, "A little wish of mine really…I wondered if things could ever go back to how they were five years ago after we take Wall Maria back? It's silly to think about now but…it was just a simple wish."

"There is nothing wrong with wishing things will go back to how they were," I answered her, "After everything we've been through…I doubt something like that will be possible."

Mikasa smiled lightly.

"Maybe we'll be able to see the sea one day."

I blinked at her, confused.

"The…sea?" I repeated, not registering the foreign word, "What's that?"

Mikasa glanced at me, "Well…Armin said it's a body of water so big that it covers the entire horizon…and that it's salty somehow."

"Huh? How can it be salty?" I asked, curious.

Mikasa shrugged.

"I don't know," she said, "But that's what Armin said."

I let out a soft hum before an idea sprung within my mind. I turned toward Mikasa, raising a pinky at her.

"Hey let's make a promise," I told her.

The girl looked at me puzzled.

"Really?"

"Yeah," I told her with a light grin.

Mikasa tilted her head, "What am I promising?"

"Let's promise that after we take Wall Maria, we'll go and see that giant body of water Armin spoke about," I told her, "If it exists at least we'll probably be able to find it anyhow."

Mikasa let out a rueful chuckle as she linked her pinky with my own.

"It's a promise."

* * *

 **A new promise made...**

 **Next time:** The Town where Everything Began..

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	60. The Town where Everything Began

**Hey guys, here is the latest update of this fanfic. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new one as we began the Return to Shingashina Arc...**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah, Armin, Eren, Mikasa, Levi, Hange, Erwin, Connie, Jean, Sasha all stood in a line as they stared forward at the District in front of them.

Chapter Sixty

The Town where Everything Began

Arrival

It started out just like every other day in the Walls. I woke up pretty early and went through the daily rituals I always went through…however, there was this strange sensation in the air around everyone. Knowing that this is going to be the day that we set out to take Wall Maria back. I can feel a sudden surge of energy within me, knowing that I'll be returning to that place again…

The place where my life was forever changed in a single afternoon…

It was still strange to think that we were finally going back to Shingashina and I couldn't wait to get to the city and take the mission back. However, it also made me think of my first expedition going outside the Walls when I joined the Scouts for the first time. I had been both afraid and excited about the notion of going outside the Walls thought thinking about that expedition brought back the memories of what had happened during it with the Female Titan and the many deaths that followed after it.

But I was not that girl anymore. I was a veteran Scouts from the looks of it and I will be in a different position that I was the last time I was out there. Thought it will be different for this expedition after all, we're not going to be going during the day but using the cover of night to move when the Titans are asleep with no energy to move from the sunlight.

I still feel strange about everything that is going to happen when we returned to Shingashina…however, this was the mission that we signed up for…

And there was someone I needed to visit before I do.

* * *

Taking my horse Red Mare, I rode out of the HQ after breakfast and rode all the way toward where the small house I stayed in with Maria and Kyle were. It didn't take long to find it and when I did, the place looked abandoned like people hadn't been there in years. I did come here the last time before I went to the previous expedition and now, I was returning and I had my full memories now of what had happened in that house when I joined the military.

Descending from the horse, I tied it to one of the trees before walking toward the back finding the two wooden crosses that were there marking the grave of the two people that I once knew that were at my side when I was at my lowest.

Its thank to them two that I managed to survive the fall of Shingashina.

"Hello Aunt Maria, Kyle," I greeted softly, "This afternoon, I will be heading about to Shingashina so that we could retake Wall Maria…your homes. It's strange to think that of all days that I could have been in that city it was the day that Berthold arrived to kick the Wall down…and it changed my life…no, all of our lives."

I paused for a moment, gathering my thoughts.

"There is a chance that we might learn the truth of this world," I continued, "The truth that the Reiss family did everything to hide it from. I wonder what will happens then? What type of world will be out there waiting for us? From Reiner's group, we know at least someone out there want our death and it seems that there is someone beyond the Wall that is interested in me as well…"

I looked up at the two graves.

"Maria, you gave me this power because of our blood connection," I said looking at the woman's grave, "You said you believed that I could be the future, but I wonder if you were just saying things to make me agree with you but I had to wonder…did you see Sonja as well? Or did you know my name because you saw it in Irma's memories…? Why did none of you ever told me the truth, your or my mother?"

I shook my head lightly.

"But maybe…that's the way it's supposed to be," I said, "I'll come back and visit again…and by that time hopefully, I would have learned the truth about the world and the truth that was hidden for us for over a hundred years….maybe I'll finally be able to do something about mom…"

I thought about her, the woman who brought me into this world, thinking of the sweet memories that feels so long ago now…

But I shook my head free of them.

"Thank you for listening," I said softly placing flowers upon both of their graves, "I'll have more to tell you when I get back."

With that I turned away from them and aimed back toward my horse.

I had an expedition to prepare for.

* * *

The late afternoon sun was like a golden glow as the sun was slowly lowering behind the hills in the distance. The entire Scout Regiment was there at the Wall of Trost with the occasional boom of the Titan guillotine moving in the distance, able to take care of the nearby Titans which were there as the Garrison Regiment was doing it's work.

The green cloak danced upon my shoulder as I was standing in the lift that was rising up the Wall. I glanced down toward the city beneath me as it was getting smaller noticing the citizens were all looking up toward us and I knew that they were aware of the Expedition, thought it would be the first one we will be taking from Trost District after all, the last expedition took place in Coloneth District which Gate was still operational.

I guess going from Coloneth District will take too long if we are to do this at night for if we did, we would have probably reached Shingashina during the day which was against everything this operation was for. I let out a small sigh before turning my gaze toward my companion. A young brunette who looked a little pale in the face from how she was. She was quivering lightly from where she stood and I knew by just looking at her that she was one of the new recruits. I stared at the girl for a few moments before speaking to her.

"You just need to focus on your job while we're out there."

She glanced at me, surprise upon her face.

"What?"

"Don't overthink things," I told her, "Your mind is probably filled with fear about the Titans and whatever you imagine…trust me, your imagination is much worse than how it really is…even so, your rookies will be in the Rear guard anyway. All you need to do is focus upon your job and the drills you've been going through then you'll be fine."

The girl seems to calm down after my words sunk in.

"I'll…I'll try."

I nodded at her as the lift came to a stop at the top of the Wall. The sunlight blinded me for a few seconds before my eyes adjusted to the light and I found myself looking at a large number of soldiers moving on about their duties.

"Get to your squad rookie," I told the girl.

She gave me a salute before moving off to join her squad and I moved in another direction walking on top of the wall with Red Mare following after me. As I was walking, I spotted Jean along with Connie and Sasha already there with their own horses.

"Sarah, you're finally up here," Jean said turning toward me.

"Yes, where are the others?"

"Eren, Mikasa and Armin are over there," Jean said indicating the direction they were in, "We're simply getting things ready right now and waiting for the Command squad to come."

I blinked glancing around where we are. I would have thought Commander Erwin and the others would have been here before us.

"Then we still have time before we depart…," I said before looking at the large sack that had the Thunder Spears in them lying on the ground not too far away as some other Scouts were placing the metal rods in place.

"Sasha, I need to apologize to you," I spoke out looking at the girl.

The girl blinked at me surprised, "Apologize? What for?"

"For what I said about Connie's mother being a Titan," I said drawing Connie's attention as well, "It was callous of me to say something like that and I wanted to apologize for it."

"What's this about my mother?" Connie asked confused.

"They just got into an argument a few days ago," Jean told him, "Don't worry about it."

I was looking at Sasha who was staring at me with an unusually serious face. Then, after a few moments the girl nodded.

"Fine," she said, "I'll accept your apology for now…"

I nodded at her before walking away from the group with my horse following after me waiting for the moment when the Commander and the Captains will come. We didn't have to wait long for they were suddenly cheers coming from the city below so I approached the edge of the Wall to see what was happening finding that the people were sending us a cheerful farewell.

"YEAH, you can count on us," Jean, Connie and Sasha yelled getting into the mood as the people cheered for us down below.

"The Scouts never gotten something like that before, right?" I said glancing at Marlene, one of the new female Captain.

"Not that I ever know," she answered with a light shrug of her shoulders

Suddenly Commander Erwin let out a powerful yell as he raised his fist into the air getting the crowd pumped as well as their cheers resonated toward where we stood. I couldn't help the grin that grew upon my lips at the cheers that grew from where the people were and simply shook my head lightly at them.

"The Operation to retake Wall Maria begins now," Commander Erwin shouted, "Scouts move out."

We all had gotten into a lift with our horses as the Garrison soldiers that were upon the Wall helped us down into the area alongside the Wall of the thorn that was Trost District. I seated upon my horse looking out toward the distance as the sunset was bathing everything in a golden hue with low clouds in the distance. I caught Mikasa's gaze as I was riding into position, the girl sending me a nod of acknowledgment which I responded with my own.

Then, we were all moving all a hundred soldiers that made up the entire Scout Regiment galloped away from the District, our destination.

Shingashina.

* * *

Walking in complete blackness in the middle of the woods is never something I thought I'd be doing when I joined the Scouts four months ago but here I was, pulling upon my horse and holding one of the new and improved lantern that had been made from the ore of the glowing crystal that was found in Reiss's basement.

The forest was deadly quiet save for the sound of the other Scouts member around me with their light shining around me as we walked through the forest around me. I searched a glance around me taking in the faces of the soldiers that were around me. There was a tension upon their features as we were out in Titan territory and on foot at that, a good way to get yourself killed but with the lack of moonlight, the Titans couldn't gain any energy from the sun to move.

It was the result of Hange's many experiments that proved it as a fact and as it was one of the reasons that it was chosen to do the operation at night and when there was no moon. Given what happened with the Titans that moved under the moonlight with what happened at Utgard Castle back then, we weren't going to take any chances of casualties happening before the mission actually starts.

"How long is this going to take?" the Scout beside me asked, "It's got to be near dawn by now."

With his face barely hidden from under the hood, I can see the young man's fear upon his face.

"Keep yourself calm rookie," I told him, "Getting into a panic isn't going to help anyone right now."

The young man glanced at me and when I registered his features in my mind, I realized it was the same guy that had been all boastful back during lunch that day. His features were pale from the light of the new lantern that were shining all around us.

"How can you be so calm?" he asked, not keeping the tremble out of his voice, "We walking deep in Titan territory and they could attack us at any moment…?"

"Titans need sunlight to move," I told him, "And given the report about the new type of Titans that can move under the moonlight, it's one of the reasons why we chose to do the operation under a moonless night. Did you sleep through the debrief of the mission or something?"

"Easy for you to say," the young man said, "You can transform into a Titan…?"

"Quiet, Floch," Marlene added from where she was, "Don't give away anything about her to the enemy. Don't you forget, she and the other boy are the ones that the enemy is after."

"Sorry ma'am," Floch spoke out, his tone subdued.

I glanced at the young man who was looking down now but I refocused my attention forward once more…

" _TITAN ON THE LEFT_ ," Someone suddenly shouted in front of us, Jean's voice I recognized, " _HALT ALL MOVEMENTS, light up the area."_

We all raised our lamps in the air aiming at the direction indicated and found a Titan seating against a large boulder. All of us stilled as we observed the Titan's slumped form waiting for a sign of movement but there was none.

"It's alright," Hange spoke out, "Pretty sure it's not one of those moonlight Titans…isn't that a shame. Leave him be."

The soldiers followed her orders as well as moved past the Titan thought I still returned my gaze toward the form that was getting swallowed by the darkness behind us as we left it behind.

"We were almost on top of the damn thing," one of the Scout male spoke out glancing back at the direction of the Titan.

"Is it really alright to leave it like that?" Floch asked.

"It's not like we can kill it," I told him, "the nape was completely covered by the rock he was leaning against and going after it like that…no need to have soldiers dying needlessly on something that can be avoided."

Floch fell silent at that.

"Not a bad mind you have there girl," the man said looking at me.

"It's something that anyone could figure out if they really think about it," I answered the man.

"Why don't you take the compliment already," the man said shaking his head, "Thought…that being said, I hope we will reach Shingashina soon. Dawn is coming pretty close."

The sky was getting a little bit lighter now as I looked up toward it with a light frown upon my face.

"We found a trail ahead," a voice yelled in front of us.

My heart jumped lightly at the thought as I pulled upon Red Mare's reins as we approached forward and sure enough there was a path in between the trees wide enough for wagons to pass through comfortably and while the road was lightly overgrown with grass, it was still visible.

"We're nearly here." I whispered.

As we cleared the trees, sure enough in the distance was the Shingashina District which could be visible in the distance. Every soldier were climbing up upon their horses and on the order of the Commander, we were all riding out aiming straight toward the district that was quickly approaching us. In the distance I could see the destroyed Inner Gate that was said to be destroyed by the Armored Titan when he rammed through it.

No…when _Reiner_ destroyed it.

However, seeing Shingashina in the distance brought back the memories that were in my mind when I was last in that city a long time ago back when I came here with my mother when she had decided that I will come with her to visit Aunt Maria five years ago…

The hooves thundered upon the ground as we were now in the flatlands that were ahead of the small town that was outside of the District. The houses looked abandoned and in shambles as they were completely left to nature after they had been abandoned when Wall Maria fell to the Titans five years ago. I gripped the reins of Red Mare as we rushed through the homes.

In front of me, I noticed the soldiers flying off their horses as they were aiming straight toward the District, meaning that the operation to retake Wall Maria had finally begun.

"Rookies, with me," the man yelled, "Ground the horses."

I Pulled myself up standing upon the saddle as Red Mare galloped forward and then, I launched my hooks forward, anchoring myself at a house before rising into the air aiming straight for the Wall in front of me. the cool morning wind rippled against my green cloak as the hood that was upon my head danced in the wind as I scaled the Wall quickly and with a burst of gas, I had reached the top landing upon a light crouch as I find myself staring out toward the massive city of Shingashina.

" _We must seal the Gate within Wall Maria and the outside world. With that achieved, Shingashina will be isolated. Then, we can kill the Titans inside. The enemy will predict this plan and counter it by targeting both Sarah and Eren…but all a hundred of our soldiers will keep their faces covered with hoods. By the time the foe can locate either of them, Eren would have plugged up the Outer Gate."_

That was the plan that was discussed and so far everything seems to be going according to plan as far as I can see, and yet, I can't believe that we were actually here back in Shingashina and it had been so long ago since I had been there.

 _I have a job to do now,_ I thought, tightening my grip upon my sword handle.

 _Flashback_

 _I stared up at the Commander in front of me with a light frown upon my face._

" _I'm not going to be in Levi's squad?" I asked surprised._

" _No," Erwin said, "There will be no point in you being in the same team as Eren. We can't give the enemy any advantage by having the two of you in the same squad. You will be with Marlene's squad whose job will be to secure the Inner Gate until Eren can seal it."_

End of Flashback

I aimed straight toward the edge, pulling out a spyglass before kneeling down on the edge of the Wall looking down toward the city. Keeping a look out if I can see any Titans lumbering around the city but so far I have seen nothing at all.

 _No signs of any Titans yet…_ I thought.

"Anything?" a voice asked from beside my kneeled form.

I turned my attention toward it finding Commander Erwin standing there beside me. The man's eyes were looking down at me as he was waiting for my answer.

"No sign of any Titans yet," I said, "And Marlene squad had yet to send out any flares at all. It would seem things are going our way so far."

Erwin stayed silent for a moment before his attention was drawn away from the side. I looked at where he was looking at and found Armin not too far away from us with his arm in the air and an urgent look upon his face.

The Commander went toward him to speak with the young man and he seemed agitated about something but I had to focus upon my job so I looked away and turned my gaze into the spyglass once more, scanning the city for any sign of Titans but there was none thought I did catch sight of our troops flying about the ruins of the city.

Then green smoke came from the Outer Gate signaling us that it was clear of Titan as well…

 _Something feels…off._

Then it was shortly followed by the telltale sign of the yellow lightning of a Titan transformation meaning Eren was sealing the Gate right now but even with all of that happening, there was no sign of the enemy nor of any Titans at all…

"I don't like this," I murmured softly standing back up.

Marlene came to land beside me, a frustrated look upon her features.

"See any Titans yet?" she asked.

I shook my head.

"No," I said, "It's like the entire town is completely cleaned out."

"I don't like this," she said, "the Scouts never had this much luck on our side before…I've got bad feeling about this."

She was right. The situation was just too…easy.

"Let's report to the Commander," I told her.

She nodded and we both made for where the man was standing. Erwin turned his attention toward us as we approached.

"My team has secured the Inner Gate sir, but there is no trace of any Titans anywhere at all," Marlene spoke out, "There has been no sign of the enemy either."

Erwin seems to be thinking for a moment before the sound of flare going off drew our attention toward it. Two green flares were rising in the distance signaling to us that the Outer Gate was closed off. That Eren was successful.

"It seems part of the plan is still moving as proceed," Erwin spoke out.

"Shouldn't we have seen sign of the enemy by now?" the man beside Erwin asked, "Could it be that they were not ready to face us?"

"We can only hope," Erwin answered, "But with what Arlert found…"

Suddenly Armin was there rising up from the side of the wall.

"Sir, I've investigated what I've found," he spoke out, "It was clear that someone was camping here on top of the wall. I found a cold pot and other camping equipment near the ashes…they were drinking something like black tea and they were three cups… all of them had the same strange tea at the bottom. I'd summarise that they were three people camping up here at least."

 _Three?_

Two of them must have been Reiner and Berthold…but who was the third?

"Was the pot completely cool to the touch?" Erwin asked.

Armin nodded.

"That's troubling," Erwin admitted and Armin seems to agreed with him.

"Wait…what's going on?"

"If the cups are cool to the touch," I whispered, "They must have been aware of our coming long before we arrived."

"But how could that be?" Marlene asked, "We were on horseback and we came here at full speed…there is no way they could have…"

Erwin glanced toward the inner area of the Wall.

"It's most likely they had a Scout of their own," he said, "IF they had heard us approach on horseback and we engaged our ODM gears…they would have had under two minutes to react. A pot over a fire wouldn't have cooled over that time. They had to have at least five minutes or more…which tells me that the enemy had plenty of time to prepare for our arrival."

I looked at the Commander before turning my gaze toward the direction of the land of Wall Maria.

"Then we must have many enemies and that they could be everywhere," Armin said, "That Scout and the three that were on the Wall…"

"You need to sharpen your focus on the enemies that are nearby," Erwin told him giving the young man a glance, "I trust you. That mind of yours had saved us from disaster countless times. Now do it again, we are in dire need of your help."

A shocked look appeared upon Armin's face at the Commander's word though he wasn't the only one that was shocked. I was surprised at the man's decision as well.

"You can take as many soldiers as you need," Erwin said signaling the soldiers that were nearby to approach him, "If the enemy is hiding near the Inner Gate, find them."

When the soldiers got in formation in front of us Erwin turned to face them, delivering the news to them.

"As of now you will obey Armin Arlert commands," he said looking at them all, "He will tell you how to proceed."

I looked at Armin's shocked face and the stern look that was upon the Commander's.

 _It's not a bad choice,_ I thought, _Armin is quite the strategist. Thanks to him we managed to survive Trost and even got the Garrison to retake Trost from the Titans. If there is one person that could figure out where our enemies are…it's him._

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed that bit...**

 **Next Time:** Battle of Shingashina

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	61. Battle of Shingashina

**Hey guys, here is the next chapter of this fanfiction. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah flying through the air with her paring blades wet with blood

Chapter Sixty-One

The Town Where Everything Began

Battle for Shingashina

The soldiers had a surprised look upon their faces at the Commander's order, but the absolute orders that they were given by Erwin washed away the doubts that they could have within the order. I moved to stand beside my young friend noticing the sudden shocked expression that was upon his face at being suddenly given commands.

"Understood," the soldiers spoke out.

"We've searched the Wall's perimeter thoroughly," one of them spoke out.

"What are your instructions Arlert?" a female one asked.

Armin seems to be completely at lost from the look on his face. It oddly reminded me of that day when we were under fire from under the Garrison Regiment back in Trost. The same undecisive look that was upon his features back then. There was also nervousness at what type of path that should be chosen in this scenario that we've found ourselves in.

"We'll send one group on each side of the Wall," Armin spoke out, his voice almost cracking with how nervous he was, "Search the buildings near the Gate. IF you found something send out an acoustic round."

The soldiers didn't move as they continued to stare at him and that small fire, he had in him seems to die a little.

"Does…that work for you?" he asked, suddenly sounding as young as he looked.

" _Understood,"_ the soldiers around us echoed as they all moved to obey the order.

A hand patted upon my shoulder drawing my eyes toward Marlene.

"C'mon," she said, "We've got a job to do."

I nodded at her before stopping at the edge of the all, looking back at Armin.

"Armin," I called out.

The young man was heading in the opposite direction but he stopped when I called out to him. The look on his face was urgent and yet there was still this trace of nervousness and undecidedness in his features. I figured this would be the best time to say this.

"Have more confidence in yourself," I told him, "After all, if it wasn't for you and that brain of yours, Trost District wouldn't be standing right now. It already gotten us out of many situations as you can remember, I'm sure you'll get us out of this one."

The young man seems surprised at my words. I gave him a light nod before turning away and jumping off the head of the wall aiming straight down toward the houses that were outside of the District. I noticed the Scouts were already moving about, searching the place so I went and searched alongside them. I moved from one house to the next searching for any sign that anyone had been here for the past five years but there wasn't anything at all.

 _If the enemy knows that we're coming, they have to be somewhere close by,_ I thought, _Reiner and Berthold already know about the basement and I am sure they told whoever the third person was about it too. They know that we will be coming here to seal the Gate meaning that if they want to capture me and Eren…this is where they will have to do it…but where are they?_

I landed down upon a rooftop in a crouch glancing around.

 _The lack of Titans in the area have to be their doing,_ I thought, _they have to make sure not to have casualty in their ranks if they are Titans in the vicinity at least…the ones that they can't control…the Beast Titan seems to have some sort of ability to control Titans…_

The image of what happened in Utgard Castle flashed within my mind.

 _There is a chance he might be the third person that was drinking with Reiner and Berthold but…think Sarah…if you wanted to have your enemies at your mercy…what would you have done?_

I glanced at the Scouts around me, noticing them flying from houses to houses searching for the enemy. I moved forward as well, glancing back at the Wall.

 _I'd chose a place where I can see everything that's happening,_ I thought, _then I would surround them, giving them no chance to escape…but with how much we're searching right now, and we can't even find them all…could it be that they're not in the houses at all? Then, where could they be?_

A sudden shot ran through the air drawing my attention back toward the Wall behind me.

"An acoustic round," a Scout behind me said.

"The enemy," another said.

"We return to the top of the Wall," Marlene ordered.

 _Armin,_ I thought before flying forward as well, following the Scouts that were around us.

We all scaled up the Wall and landed on top of it where the other soldiers were already gathering around Armin. The young man had a determinate look upon his features from where he stood.

"Did you find them Arlert?" one of the Scouts questioned.

Armin looked at them all.

"Check the Walls, everyone scours the Walls," Armin ordered.

"But we already checked all around them," Marlene told him.

"There isn't anywhere to hide upon them,"

" _Check inside the Walls?"_

I feel my eyes widen lightly in shock at the order and I can feel the confusion coming from the Scouts that were around me as they were staring at the young man. Armin was all for this idea from the look on his face and for him to tell us that, he must have at least something that worked up in his mind…

"Inside the Walls?" A Scout questioned.

"Yes," Armin said his voice urgent, "Check for a cavity large enough for someone to hide out in. It may be covered."

"How do you even know something like that exist?" the man asked him.

The young man paused and for a brief moment, his eyes met my own before he looked back toward the man, determination taking place of the nervousness that he had before.

"The enemy has always used their Titans in way we can't predict," Armin spoke out looking at them all, "Think about it, if we constrain ourselves to normal tactical reasoning, then we'll never be able to get out from underneath their rule."

There was silence from around them as they were all staring at Armin thought I could tell his words had an effect on them given some of the veterans here probably all heard about Reiner and Berthold first appearance after what happened at Utgard Castle. If only I wasn't unconscious at the time, I could have had done something to help initially.

Then the sound of a flare gun going off drew our attention finding Erwin standing underneath a trail of red smoke.

 _Red smoke…he is halting the operation?_

"They are time to be strict, and time to be flexible," the Commander said his voice calm, "Uphold the vows. Do what it takes to win. Uphold the chain of commands and keep your eyes fixed toward victory."

Armin glanced around us all.

"Form two groups and scour the Wall surface. Start above the Gate…hurry."

The Scouts were frozen where they stood for another half of a second before they all started moving again, aiming to follow his orders once more. I moved toward the inner part of the Wall as I started to do the same as the others around me. With my cables anchored into the Wall, I slowly lowered myself into the direction of the Gate, tapping the Walls with my blades.

 _A Place where they will be able to see everything that's going on,_ I thought, _Seems that I had the right idea…just never thought of actually checking the Wall itself…Now that I think about it, the Walls are hollow in part on the inside if they made from a Titan's hardening…and the enemy always seems to know much more about Titans than we do thanks to the Reiss family…_

Another round shout out, drawing our attention.

"This part of the Wall is hollow," the man yelled.

A part of the Wall moved away and the man was suddenly stabbed through by a paring blade. I can feel my eyes widening in shock at what had just happened. Red blood flickered down as the man fell from his position and then a familiar figure appeared from the hole that was inside the Wall…

 _Reiner…_

He looked just as I remembered him to be the last time, I saw him…thought by seeing him, came all the feelings that I also remember from the last time that I was close to him. That white hot rage filled with the betrayal as well as the anger that I had felt when I learned just how much death and destruction they had caused to the Walls.

"REINER," Armin yelled.

I moved before I could even think about it. With a sudden burst of gas, I launched straight toward the young man as his eyes focused upon me and there was surprise within them when they met my own but I didn't even hesitate aiming my blade straight at him forcing the young man to block as he pushed away from where I was…

Something drew his attention away from me but he was too slow to react as he was stabbed straight through the neck before he could put up a defense. Captain Levi continued to push him down toward the ground and stabbed him again with his other blade straight into his heart but then he suddenly kicked him off, sending Reiner flying down into the grassy ground bellow.

"Captain?"

"Damn it," Levi growled, "I stabbed him straight through the neck and the bastard still isn't dead? What the hell are these guys made of?"

Yellow lightning came from beneath us, drawing our gaze toward him as the pressure of the explosion ruffled against our cloaks raising a lot of dust and steam as Reiner was completely engulfed within the light as the Armored Titan took his place form his position on the ground.

"Keep your eyes open," Commander Erwin shouted from above us, "We still need to find his allies…"

Another explosion cut him off, coming from the other side of the Wall. I scaled the Wall aiming straight toward the top landing upon the top of the Wall in a crouch staring out toward the horizon which was now filled with steam and smoke. As it cleared, all I could see standing in the horizons were Titans and among them was one I recognized despite having only seeing him once before.

The Beast Titan.

Said Titan picked up a boulder that was nearby of him, holding the massive rock within his palm before he launched it toward us in an arc throw. My eyes fixed the approaching boulder as it appeared toward us.

"INCOMING BOULDER, WATCH OUT," Erwin shouted.

But the boulder never reached us for it arced down before it could, aiming straight downward toward the direction of the Inner Gate resulting in an almighty crash that shook the Wall we were on. I instantly walked forward glancing down toward where the boulder hit, seeing dust and smoke only from the sudden attack that had happened before we could gain our bearings.

"Look like they missed," a Scout said.

"No," Erwin said, "That was a well-placed shot. He blocked off the entrance…there is no riding out of it now."

 _That was their plan all along,_ I thought, _They wanted Eren to seal both Gates before making their moves. If we hadn't discovered Reiner…we would have been completely surrounded before we know what was happening…_

"They have us all but surrounded," the Commander continued, "They plan to target block off our escape, target our horses and slaughter us. The enemy hoped for the same thing that we do. To win this conflict once and for all… _It's our side our theirs now. We can let the Titan crush us…or bring them crashing down."_

I stood up, glaring out toward where the Beast Titan was standing in the distance and I swore I could see a smile upon his lips as he was looking out toward our general direction.

 _Oh…I intend to…_

From around us the rest of the Scouts had climbed on top of the Wall and were now all looking at the enemy that was in the horizon just beyond the ruins of the village that was beneath us. The Beast Titan was still standing from where it had appeared as we were all looking at him, the tense situation that were in becoming even more dangerous by their appearance.

Captain Levi approached him.

"Commander, he is about to climb," he said.

Erwin gave a backward glance toward the direction of Shingashina hearing the sound of stones breaking as the Armored Titan was staring his climb toward the top of the Wall. The man stayed silent for a moment before speaking.

"Soldiers," he said, "You are not to engage the Armored Titan, maintain a safe distance."

" _Yes sir."_ Was echoed all around me and I glanced up at the tall man wanting to know what he was thinking, however, the Commanders' attention was already back toward the Beast Titan, thinking of the plan that he was going to create.

 _Given everything that had happened so far, we can't attack recklessly. We have to know the enemy's strategy before doing anything…but, given what happened at Utgard Castle, and how successful it was, I won't put it past them to try the same thing again…With how limited we are in weaponry, a long battle is not something that we can achieve right now…_

"They have one more intelligent Titan," Erwin announced, "It's the Quadruped Titan…thought they may well be others."

I glanced at the Titans in the distance and took notice of the one on all four. It was carrying cargo upon it's back as it was standing near the Beast Titan. I tilted my head a little staring at the strange Titan in the distance. If it was carrying some sort of cargo then there is no way it could have transformed just now…

 _Could it have been the Scout that warned them of our approach?_

The Beast moved, raising his fist into the air and with a powerful roar, he slammed it down upon the ground causing a boom as well shaking some trees that were near him as birds flew away from where he was. As soon as he had did so, the Titans started to move all of them aiming forward, straight toward our general direction thought they were mostly the Two or Three meters tall one.

The large ones were still standing back thought not moving at all.

 _The enemy is making his move…what now Commander?_

I glanced toward Erwin again noticing how his gaze was devoid of all emotions, his blue eyes seemingly taking in everything in that was going on in front of him. I am kind of amazed at how calm he is on the outside given the situation going on around us.

"Commander, the Armored Titan is almost on top of us," Armin spoke out, "And we still have no idea where Berthold is."

"I know," the man spoke out.

He was silent for another few seconds before taking a breath.

"Finally, ready to talk?" Captain Levi asks, "Being waiting so long I could have made breakfast."

"Dirk Squad, Marlene Squad," Erwin called out, "Go join Klaus squad at the inner Gate. Defend the horses with your lives. Squad Levi and Squad Hange, take care of the Armored Titan. Use the Thunder Spears at your own discretion, carry your objectives by any means necessary."

Erwin focuses forward once more.

"This is our moment, our time to strike," he called out, "The fate of humankind rest on this battle. Give your hearts and lives, once more for humanity."

"Yes sir," everyone shouted around us.

The designed squads launched forward but before I could move the commander placed a hand upon my shoulder drawing my attention toward him for a moment.

"Wait a moment Sarah," he said before he turned his attention away from me, "You two stay here. Hange can lead both of your squads, I need you here Levi."

The man frowned.

"So, I'll protect the horses instead of Eren?" he asked.

"That's right," Erwin told us, "However, when the chance arises, I want you and Sarah to strike him down."

He aimed straight toward the Beast Titan.

"With the two of you working together, you will defeat him and the Quadruped." he said.

I can feel my eyes widening in shock at the task that was placed upon my shoulders. Levi, I could understand since he is the best damn soldier that there is in the Walls but how did I get to be chosen to do that job. I glanced at the Captain noticing that he was looking at me as well but there was no surprise within his gaze at all.

"Understood sir," he said, "I wasn't fast enough to finish the Armored brat. I'll redeem myself by killing the Beast Titan and if she is helping, then none of them will escape from us…c'mon Ashler, we've got work to do."

"Sir."

I followed Captain Levi as the two of us flew down from the Wall aiming down toward the ground. As I was looking at the ruins bellow, I can already see that the Titans have reached the house and from how they were moving, Marlene Squad and Dirk Squad were already engaging.

"Having the horses in one place is causing trouble," Levi spoke out, "The recruits aren't ready for a straight up fight…"

"I'll head to the front and help Marlene's squad," I told him, "That should lower the rate of the casualties."

Levi nodded as we both were running across the rooftops of the abandoned homes.

"Sarah, I've heard you're pretty good with your ODM gear," the man said, "And I've seen you in action before. Take care of them quickly."

I nodded at him.

"Yes sir."

We both parted ways and I zoomed in between the homes feeling the winds dancing through my cloak as I moved forward, catching sight of the others in the distance. I get my pairing blades at the ready as I moved forward and then caught sight of two Titans approaching through the west side and from how the Scouts were moving, they seem to be struggling against them.

I instantly changed direction, aiming straight for the Titans before slicing through both of their napes in one fell swoop attack causing them to collapse on the ground dead. I landed down upon the roof in a crouch glancing around myself as I noticed the other two Scouts looking at me in shock…

 _Must be new recruits…_

"Don't just stay there, keep moving," I barked, "Don't give the Titans an easy target by staying in one place recruits."

"Yes ma'am," the two said before moving off.

The blood had evaporated from the blades I held before moving forward yet again taking down any Titans that had crossed by my paths. I can hear some screams of people dying in the distance and I couldn't help but grit my teeth in anger at what was happening.

"Damn it," I growled, felling another Titan.

 _I don't remember the Scouts struggling this much in the past…,_ I thought, _I mean, three Scouts were enough to hold the grounds at Utgard Castle from what Connie said about what happened that night…but then again, those Scouts were veterans compared to those new recruits…With everything that happened before most of the Scouts were decimated at that time Eren used the Scream ability…_

I turned my gaze toward the Top of the Wall, were Erwin was.

 _Levi Squad and Hange Squad are also veterans…they could have done better than the ones here…but they'll have their hands full with Reiner. I'm going to have to make sure to take down as many Titans as I can before the Beast Titan make his move…_

I turned my gaze toward the direction where the Beast Titan was still there and the Quadruped Titan was beside him still.

 _And he doesn't look like he is going to move either from where he is and we still don't have any idea on Berthold's location. If the Colossal Titan makes an appearance here…maybe I can get to him with my Crystal Spears…or maybe, I can get the Beast Titan with it…_

A roar coming from the Wall broke my train of thoughts.

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed that.**

 **Next Time:** the heart of a soldier

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	62. The heart of a soldier

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this story. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** charging horses with green flares flying through the sky...

Chapter Sixty-Two

The Town where Everything Began

The heart of a Soldier

I glanced toward the Wall in surprise at the sudden cry. I feel a light shiver run through me at how loud it was, piercing the silence that was around us. I can feel the shock within myself growing at the sound and recognizing it as the sound of a Titan's roar. The only Titan that was within the Wall was the Armored Titan which had transformed earlier when we found Reiner. I knew Hange squad and Levi Squad were off facing against him with the Thunder Spears.

Could this mean that the Thunder Spears were effective against him?

But then why would he…

Movement in the front of me drew my gaze back toward the direction of the Beast Titan finding him throwing something forward again, but it wasn't a rock or anything big but something small enough that streak through the sky at high speed, disappearing over the Wall in the blink of an eye at how fast it was thrown.

 _It looked like…a barrel of some sort…no don't tell me…Berthold._

The image of the Colossal Titan appearance in Shingashina flashed within my mind as well as how it was when it appeared in Trost….

 _When he transforms normally, the ground would tremble but if he transforms from the sky and fell down on the ground, the devastation is going to be…_

"Hey, Ashler don't just stand around."

I blinked at the voice finding Marlene there. The young woman was slightly out of breath as she landed across me and I blinked in surprise at her. I thought that she was at the front taking care of the smaller Titans that were still around the houses.

"We don't have time to stand around you know," the woman said, "I need your help at the front. Your skills with the gear is needed."

"Right," I said nodding.

 _I need to focus on doing my job…I can't stand there and worry about the others yet. They can handle themselves…thought I still worry on how they're going to face Berthold if he transforms…thought as long as they can kill him before he can transform then we'll have a shot._

I flew through the air following after Marlene as I leave the Wall behind going deeper through the houses taking notice of the small Titans that were around us. It was strange that the Titans were all wandering at the very front of the small homes unlike how they usually are, just wandering around by themselves.

"Why are they all standing around in one place?" I asked.

"You noticed that, too right?" Marlene answered me with a frown, "I'm thinking they're all Abnormals but considering they're under the control of the Beast Titan…they are in a completely different category…thought we still need to complete our mission and clear out the area here."

Marlene had a small frown upon her face.

"I've already lost three Scouts," she said, "Try not to die alright?"

I nodded at her before moving into combat avoiding the Titan's hands and slicing the napes that I could find, felling a couple of them and landing back down upon a rooftop doing a shoulder role. I glanced back toward the group finding them on the ground. On my left there was nothing more than open grassland that was giving way straight toward where the Beast Titan was seating and I glanced out toward him but he didn't seem to have moved yet.

 _It's clear that the Titans are still under his control…no ordinary Titans react like this,_ I thought, _even with the few that went in deeper into the ruins, a large majority of them still remains at the front. Reiner must have told him about how we kill Titans and he is trying to minimize the loss in his forces…I think…but something still feels off._

I glanced around myself for a few moments, taking in the group that was around me and moving forward as well working in coordination with another Scout to take down a Three meter who had lunged after me, giving the man an opening to kill it.

Turning my gaze toward the Beast Titan again, I noticed that the Quadruped Titan was no longer beside him. It forced me to pause as I glanced around searching for a sign of it but it wasn't among the ones that were attacking us at all so where did it go?

 _I have a bad feeling about this…_

A sudden golden light filled the sky drawing most of our attentions toward it and I can feel my heart jump in my chest knowing that it was the light of a Titan's transformation but it was brighter than the ones that Eren or any other Titan usually died. The light shone so bright that it was almost blinding for a few moments and then, the world shook form the explosion that followed and I can even see the old houses around us shake from the explosion.

"What the hell was that?" I heard one of the Scout asked.

"An explosion…?"

"That was a Titan's transformation," I said, "the Colossal Titan just transformed…"

 _Shit…Shit…this thing just gone from bad to worse…I hope Hange squad and Levi Squad are alright and didn't get caught in that explosion…_

"I'm heading back to the Commander and get an update on the situation," I said looking at them all, "Maybe with new orders, we can figure out some sort of strategy to get the Beast Titan to move."

"I'll go with you," Marlene said, "Diss, you have command right now."

"Yes ma'am."

The two of us left them behind flying through the houses as we were heading back toward the Wall. That explosion worries me and considering how dangerous the Colossal Titan was and from the reports I've read about the confrontation the Scout had with him, we were in a serious disadvantage right now.

 _Maybe If I got to the top of the Wall I can use my Crystal Spears to take care of him from a distance…_

"Hey Ashler," Marlene called out drawing my eyes toward her, "Do you…?"

Whatever she was about to say never made it out of her lips for her throat was suddenly exploded with a jet of blood that took me by surprise and from how her own eyes widened from it, she wasn't expecting it either. The young woman went flying down toward the ground and rolling as I aimed straight down toward it.

"MARLENE," I yelled.

All around me I can hear the houses exploding from contacts with something at high speed but whatever it could be I didn't know for. I landed down upon the ground by the female Scout whose throat had a hole in it as her mouth was filled with blood. I instantly made my hand toward the throat hoping to do something but even I knew it was futile. Her eyes stared at my direction and she was trying to speak but she never did as her body stopped twitching completely, eyes turning glassy and just like that, Marlene was dead.

I stared at the empty stare for another second, completely shocked at what had just happened before standing up. My hands were covered in Marlene's blood which felt oddly cold against my skin. Then the same sounds completely filled the air again as screams of pain and horror filled the air as well as the sound of flesh being ripped apart.

I turned my attention toward the direction of the Beast Titan finding it filled with smoke and red mists as the scent of iron and rust was suddenly filling the air around me. I stared shocked for a few moments before starting to run away again and using my ODM gear to move quickly but still keeping myself low enough that I don't have to get hit by whatever was tearing the houses apart.

Then a flash of green cloak caught my attention.

"Captain Levi," I yelled.

The man turned at my call, and I landed right beside him.

"I thought you were caught up in it as well," Levi said, "But it look like I was wrong…you're injured?"

His gaze went toward my bloodied hands.

"No…the blood is not mine," I said, "Marlene's dead."

"Let's go join the recruits and head for the Wall," he said, "We won't last long out there with what the Beast Titan's doing."

"What is he doing exactly?" I asked, as we both started running.

"The bastard throwing boulders," Levi answered, "It completely tore through the team that were in front of us…I doubt anyone had survived."

I grit my teeth in anger for a few moments and we both ran forward using our ODM gear to reach the recruits that were with the horses and I quickly took notice of a familiar bowl cut head among them. Both Captain Levi and I landed in front of Marlo and the others as they stared at us in shock.

"Captain Levi?" Marlo asked.

"Titan is throwing boulders," Levi explained quickly, " _All of you head for the Wall now_ along with the horses…"

Suddenly the house that were in front of us had a roof explode as pieces of concrete as well as woods showered down upon us causing the recruits to yell out in shock as well as in fear as another volley of boulders was starting to tear through the building around us.

"Move," Levi yelled, " _And stay out of the line of fire_."

The recruits followed his orders running back toward the Wall with the horses and I was running alongside them.

 _I should have realized it…. I knew there was a reason the Titans were acting off earlier. If only I had the foresight to predict our enemy's movement, I should have known this. He was pulling us all in one place so he could decimate us in one fell swoop. It was just like the Commander said earlier, the enemy is planning to destroy us here…._

The bombardment of boulders followed us as the houses around us crumbled from the many crashes that were around us and one of the recruits, one I recognized fell down upon the ground panicking completely at what was happening around us.

I pulled upon his cloak.

"Hey Floch, stop bitching out," I yelled at him, "If you have enough energy to cry…then you have enough energy to run… _Now get up."_

I pulled him upon his feet pulling him forward as a bell tower crumbled from beside us. A figure came to land right in front of our group and it was Commander Erwin. The man had a tight expression upon his features given what had been going on, I wouldn't blame him.

"Commander…"

"How is it looking?" Levi asked.

"Terrible," the man answered, "The front line of houses is gone. He decimated them. If he keeps throwing those everything will be leveled and we will have no way of hiding from his attack."

"We can't retreat to the other side of the Wall?" Levi asked.

"No," Erwin answered, "The Colossal Titan is already heading this way setting fire to everything around him. We could scale the wall to take shelter from the boulders but the horses can't. if we retreat here, then there is no hope for a victory."

 _So Berthold did transform…that explosion but then?_

"What about Hange and the others?" I asked the Commander drawing his gaze, "Surely they're not all…?"

Erwin's gaze was calm against my own.

"I don't know," he said, "Most of them are gone caught up when the explosion occurred. We've sustained heavy losses. The Beast Titan organized his forces in such a way that our soldiers will group up in one area…Dirk Squad, Marlene Squad and Klaus Squad were engaging the small Titans which put them in the line of fire of the bombardment…they were all wiped out."

Erwin seems to take a breath as he glanced around at everyone.

"Our remaining forces on this side of the Wall are you new Scout recruits, Captain Levi, Sarah, and me," the man said, "They are no others."

A new wave of bombardment echoed around us as I glanced back toward the destruction as the houses were missing roofs. The horizon was filled with dust and debris as even some of the boulders slammed against the Wall thought there was no damage done to them. The recruits however, were panicking from the among of destruction around them and I couldn't help but feel a bit of pity in me when I looked at them.

 _They really had no idea what they were signing up for do they?_

"What now?" Levi asked, "I assume you'd have some type of plan?"

Erwin stayed silent for a moment probably thinking about something when there was a sudden boom coming from the top of the Wall drawing all of our attention toward it. I stared at the direction in shock for a moment but then when the smoke cleared, a familiar Titan was laying upon his back on top of the Wall.

"Damn it," Levi said, "That's Eren up there…there is only one Titan that can fling him like that…the Colossal."

"Just what happened for him to be flung like that?" I said shocked.

Another bombardment shook the area around us.

"This place is about to look like a honeycomb soon enough," Levi said, "The Beast Titan knows where we are. Erwin, if there is no chance of winning this tell me so we can cut our loses. Go shake the shit out of Eren till he wakes up and have both him and Sarah carry as many people as they can…at least, they'll have some survivors."

I frowned lightly.

"I doubt that the Beast Titan would allow us that privilege," I said, "We still have a row of sixteen to seventeen meter Titans still standing in formation and we can't head back to Shingashina with the Colossal and Armored Titan there, I doubt we'll be able to get far without them getting to us…"

"…Why did you let yours get away?" Marlo shouted drawing my gaze toward him.

"Shut up," Floch yelled, "What does it even matter now?"

"What was that?"

"Those other Scouts were insanely strong and all of them died in an instant," Floch said, "What chances do we have when they failed? There is no reason to guard the horses…because they are not going to be enough people to ride them back."

Marlo stepped back from him as everyone was completely ashen faced at what was happening around them. They were all completely frightening at what they were and Floch was actually crying given the situation that he was in. I walked toward him and came to stand right in front of him drawing his gaze toward me.

"Well then Floch," I told him, "How are you going to die then? Like a coward or like a soldier?"

The young man stared at me.

"I told you back then, didn't I?" I continued, "I told you what you were walking into when you joined the Scouts but you were all high and mighty about it all. You think it matters if you're strong or weak? You think it matter in the end. All of us die and it seems that our time is up and if it is, then I'd rather die fighting and cowering on my knees begging for death."

I turned away from him making my way toward where the Commander and Levi were.

"I thought I could be more," Floch said softly, "that I could be some kind of hero…I didn't get it. I didn't know. I thought that if I died, it at least some meaning but it didn't matter to the others they're just gone…You know what, I think everyone ends up having that sort of thought in the end. I was so stupid for coming here…why did I think that I'd be different?"

I glanced back at him.

"Having thoughts like that just makes you human," I answered him honestly, "Nothing more…nothing less."

Captain Levi and Erwin seems to be in conversation as the man was seating down on a crate looking dejected and Levi standing in front of him. I stayed back wanting them to finish talking so that he could probably talk of the plan he probably has. Erwin always had a plan in mind…just a gamble like usual.

But then Levi kneeled down in front of Erwin's seated form and said something to the man and for a moment, he had a light smile upon his lips almost like he was relieved but then he stood up passing the man and approached toward me.

"Sarah, how many Lances can you throw?" he asked.

I blinked.

"Four," I answered, "But I can do more if I push myself but they'll be more brittle than normal and I'd probably have a major drawback from overusing my Titan power…why?"

"Because we are going to need to give the Beast Titan a target," Erwin spoke out looking down at me, "And keep his attention fixed upon us while Captain Levi goes in for the kill."

"Is this plan another one of your infamous gambles Commander?" I asked him with a light frown.

To my surprise, a ghost of a smile appeared upon the blond's man face.

"Something like that," he said.

Then he turned toward the recruits.

"I am about to announce our final mission," The man yelled out, "All troops line up."

They glance at him, shocked and tears falling from their faces but they did as they were ordered to in and no seconds at all, everyone was in formation in front of him.

"We're going to countering charge," Erwin explained, "Rushing the Beast Titan directly. Clearly, this will make us an ideal target for him. So, we will wait until he is ready to throw and we will fire our smoke signals at which moment, that will be when Sarah will use her Titan ability to throw a Spear through the smoke aiming straight at the Titans the Beast Titan has around him lessening his forces. The smokes will also somewhat reduce his accuracy. While we distract the Beast Titan, Captain Levi will use ODM gear to dispatch it. _Does anyone have any questions?"_

There was a dead silence as everyone was staring at the three of us in shock and horror at what the Commander was proposing to them. I didn't blame them for that given the Commander was asking them to commit a suicidal charge. One of the girls even fell to her knees vomiting on the ground in fear…

"There is no point standing around," Erwin said, "We'll only be showered by more boulders. Ready your horses on the double."

"Be honest with us…are we charging to our death?" Floch asked.

"Yes, we are," Erwin said simply.

"What are you saying since we're going to die anyway…that it's better to die fighting?"

"I am."

"Then if we're dying anyway," Floch continued, sound close to hysterical "We can just disobey your orders and it wouldn't mean a thing would it?"

"Yes, you're precisely right," Erwin said, "Everything you thought had meaning…hope, dreams and moments of happiness, none of it matters as you lie bleeding on the battlefield. None of it changes what a speeding rock does to a body…we all die. But does that mean that our lives were meaningless? Does that mean that they were no point in us being born?"

Erwin's eyes narrowed lightly.

"Would you say that about our slain comrades?" he asked, "What about their lives? Where they meaningless?"

 _Narissa flashed within my mind as well as Mina, Franz, Marco…_

Erwin grit his teeth.

"THEY WERE NOT," he yelled, "Their memories serve as an example to us all. _The courageous fallen…the anguish fallen…their lives have meaning because we the living refuse to forget them. As we ride to certain death, we trust our successors to do the same for us for my soldiers doesn't not buckle or yield when faced with the cruelty of this world…My soldiers push forward…my soldier screams out…MY SOLDIER RAGE."_

Horses yelled out as the recruits were now climbing upon them as the Commander did the same as well. I looked at them all, before they were all galloping away from where I was as blood dripped from within my palm as my world suddenly was filled with light as the Titan transformation took place around me and soon enough, I was seeing through the eyes of my Gray Titan as the soldiers were rushing forward.

Light gathered around my hand as the air cooled around me and then a Crystal spear was there within my palm as I placed it in a position to throw it waiting for the moment the smoke signal would appear. I had my attention fixed forward straight toward the Titans that were on the Beast's left side.

 _They are about seven of them…meaning I'll have to push myself to create extra…it won't be too bad but let's hope the Beast Titan didn't suddenly change plan because of my appearance…because if he did, I will have to face him by myself…_

Green smoke filled the sky and since I already have a target, I instantly launched the Spear forward. The Crystal spear flew forward at full speed aiming straight toward the Titan that I had in my sight before it tore through it causing it to fall down upon the ground.

I noticed the screams as well as the Beast Titan had launched his bombardment at the soldiers tearing through them, their screams reaching me where I was standing and I couldn't help but grit my teeth as I created another Spear in my palm.

 _I have to keep his attention focused on me,_ I thought, _As soon as Levi reached him…I must go full sprint and head straight for the Quadruped Titan…if it's another intelligent one that's mean it's a Shifter somehow…and I can't allow it to escape._

Another volley of green smoke filled the air, considerably less than before but I launched my Spear yet again aiming for another Titan…

 _The Beast isn't budging from where he is…looks like he is trying to wipe out the soldiers before moving in toward me…good that means the plan is working so far…._

Another Spear flew forward once more…

Then suddenly the Beast was on the ground.

 _This is it,_ I thought.

I suddenly launched forward, running at full speed aiming straight toward them.

* * *

 **A surge...**

 **Next Time:** Anguish

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	63. Anguish

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far but anyway, here is the next chapter of this fanfic so enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah holding a bloody tattered Garrison Regiment cloak in her hand and behind her was the image of Levi and the Beast Titan

Chapter Sixty-Three

The Town where Everything Began

Anguish

 _Flashback_

 **Two years ago…**

There was a yell as the young woman went falling down upon the ground dressed in her trainee uniform. Her hair was in a ponytail as it was wrapped in a way that makes sure that it won't get in the way during combat practice…thought it didn't seem to be helping much.

"Ow," the girl said, seating on her but in the dirt, "You really need to learn to hold back sometime Sarah."

I smiled down at her as I stood in front of her with a light smile upon my lips.

"Your enemies aren't going to hold back Narissa," I told her, "I'm not even that skilled in hand to hand combat and yet you're the one that's on the ground."

Narissa pulled herself upon her feet, looking at me.

"I hesitated okay," she said, "I don't really like fighting against my friends you know that."

I let out a small sigh shaking my head.

"It's not like we're fighting for real you know," I told her walking toward the girl, "We're training to always be ready to fight. We'll be soldiers after all."

Narissa turned her gaze away from me.

"Well, not like you'll be fighting against people," she said.

I let out a shrug.

"That's true…one of the reasons I don't really care much about hand to hand," I told her.

Narissa gave me a look.

"Something tells me you'll probably be really good at it if you apply yourself," she said.

"Maybe," I told her, glancing around the training yard where other teams were fighting against each other.

Ymir was partnered with Christa again I noticed when the tall girl had her in a hold, thought from the grin on her face, she seems to be enjoying it a little too much.

"C'mon Gray, don't stand there daydreaming," Narissa told me patting me on the back, "We need to continue on the training before Shadis notice us."

I nodded at her.

"Alright," I said.

The two of us circled each other once more with our guards up.

"So…You really were a noble all this time heh?" Narissa told me.

I blinked in confusion.

"Why are you bringing this up now exactly?"

Narissa suddenly attacked with a series of sharp jabs and punches which I avoided most of them thought one reached my side causing me to step back in pain. I winced at the hit but it didn't hurt all that much to be honest. Narissa was always pulling her punches even when she was in a fight.

"C'mon, you want me to believe you'll turn your back against that life for fighting against Titans?" she asked, "I know you're not on speaking term with your family but I doubt that's all there is to it."

I do some small attacks of my own forcing her back.

"I thought I'd already told you the full story."

"You did tell me," Narissa said, "But I doubt it was the full story."

 _The flash of a bloodied figure appeared within my mind…_

I faltered at the sudden memory which gave Narissa the advantage she needed to knock me on my back. The girl was standing above me with a light smirk upon her features as she stared down at my form.

"I always feel like you're holding something back," she said, "Ever since we've become friends. I know that there is something you're not telling me and I'm not going to force you to tell me. All I am going to do is extend you my hand…you're the one that's going to have to make the decision whether you're going to trust me with it or not."

She extended a hand toward me.

I looked at the hand for a moment before shaking my head lightly waving it away. I pulled myself up from where I was seating.

 _In that moment…I wonder…why didn't I take your hand?_

End of flashback

* * *

 **Present Day**

My Titan was rushing through the destroyed houses of the outer village of Shingashina passing the broken bodies that were torn apart by the Beast Titan's bombardment of boulders. I can feel the ground shaking lightly beneath my feet as I rushed straight for them wanting to get to him before anything else can happen. Captain Levi had managed to bring the monster down upon his front and that would mean the Commander's gamble had paid off somehow…

And I couldn't let this moment pass me by?

I could see the steam rising from the Beast's body as it lied there and even in the distance, I recognized Captain Levi green cloak dancing in the wind, however before I could reach both of them the Quadruped Titan rushed from the steam forcing Captain Levi to jump away from where he was. The Quadruped caught something in his mouth and was staring to run away from where the decomposing body of the Titan.

With a roar, I came to a stop causing the Quadruped Titan to stop as well almost like it was surprised to see me here standing in front of it. I raised a hand and I already feel the drawback of creating the spear coursing through my body as I let out a powerful growl that shook the area, I was in.

"Swarm her now," a voice yelled.

A steaming body was hanging from the Quadruped Titan's mouth. It was a male form and I noticed blonde hair and bear from the man that was hanging there and as soon as the man called out, the Titans that were standing completely immobile during the entire time since they first appeared all launched forward aiming straight toward me.

 _Damn it…the Titans…he is using them to create an opening to escape…_

I launched the Spear forward aiming straight toward one of the approaching Titan skewing straight through it's head as it was thrown backward from the attack but the others considering that they were all in a full sprint reached me quite quickly. With a roar, I launched an armored fist forward, tearing through the Titan, sending it sprawling backward from how powerful the punch was.

The other Titans swarmed and out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the Quadruped rushing past within the moment.

"No," I said from within my Titan.

I let out a grunt when one of the Titan bits down against my shoulder as they were all starting to bite into my flesh as steam from the wounds filled the air around me as they were biting into the flesh of my Titan body.

"Fuck," I yelled, " _Get the hell off damn it…I have to catch them…_."

My Titan let out a roar as I shook my body from their grasp but they were still upon me like white on rice biting within me causing blood to spill out from the wounds that I had but then a bite from behind caused me to suddenly glance at it.

A Titan was biting down on my nape.

 _Shit…_

Suddenly the Titan on my nape went slack as he let go of his hold upon the armor on my nape causing my eyes to widen lightly in surprise but then a small figure with a green cloak was there flying around me as it felled one Titan after another.

With one of my arms free, I smashed against the face of the one that was still holding on me with a bite causing blood and brain matter to fly everywhere as well as steam completely covering it as it went flying back. My wounds were not healing thought given the drawback of what I had just done and I feel the exhaustion that was rushing through my body at the moment from creating so many Crystal Spear at once.

"Let's take care of them quickly and go after the Quadruped," Levi said landing on the side of my face, drawing my gaze toward the small man, "We can't let them get away."

I let out a growl of agreement before rushing forward engaging the Titans into battle, taking them down one after the other until I was the only one standing with Levi on my shoulders, his blade wet from the blood that he had spilled along with his clothing and face.

"C'mon, don't just stand there," the man yelled, "After them."

I ran forward once more leaving the smoking bodies of the Titans behind, however, I was running much slower than when I was heading into battle. I had felt exhaustion when using the Titan ability before but this was much worse than before. I felt like when I was extremely exhausted that my side started to hurt with how tired I was but still I pushed on aiming back toward the Wall with as much speed as my body can achieve at the moment.

I slumped against the Wall when I reached it, steam rising from my Titan body as I pushed myself out of the flesh that was around me. I was breathing hard, coughing and I can taste blood within it.

"You're breathing hard," I heard the man said, "Did you pass over your limits?"

"I'…I'll be fine Captain…," I gasped, "Go…after them…I'll be right behind you…"

I didn't even look up at him as I feel the man move and then with the sound of the ODM engaging, he was gone scaling the wall after our enemies. I stayed there, breathing heavily wondering why I was so exhausted all of a sudden. I had training back there with the Crystal Spears before and I never felt that exhausted after using them before…

 _It has to have something else involved…but I can't think about this now,_ I thought, as my breathing was slowing down, _We're still in the middle of a warzone and there is no way of knowing what the enemy will do now…I need to go after Levi…_

I pulled myself out of the carcass of my Titan and I was relieved to see that my gear was mostly alright so I shoot out the cable and scaled the Wall as well, landing on top of it. The morning sun was glaring as I stood on top of the Wall, so much I had to raise a hand to shield my eyes for a moment before looking down at Shingashina which was a total wreck from where I was standing. Tall tower of black smokes rose from many parts within the District. I approached the edge and glanced down toward the District, searching for a sign of the Captain and then a blast of red smoke drew my attention toward a location.

Where I could see the form of people on a roof near the entrance.

I launched down from the top of the wall and aimed down straight toward it coming to land on the roof glancing around myself. I noticed Mikasa standing in a corner with tears in her eyes a she was looking at a blackened corpse that was beside Eren and Captain Levi who was still covered in blood.

Berthold was there as well missing his arms and legs which were steaming from the Titan healing and I can see trace of his Titan transformation on his face.

 _They managed to beat him…but…_

My eyes went toward the blackened corpse that was on the top of the roof with us.

 _Another casualty…considering the height…no…is it Armin?_

I glanced at Mikasa, my eyes asking the question that I didn't want to believe was true however the despair I could see within those black eyes was all too real. There were two people that could give Mikasa such a reaction and Eren was all too well alive in front of us.

 _God…Armin, what did you do to deserve this?_

Captain Levi was holding a familiar looking black container in his bloodstained hand as he gazed down at the corpse of Armin.

"C'mon," Eren urged extending a hand toward him.

Levi extended the box toward Eren…

Then someone else arrived drawing all of our gazes toward him. Shockingly, it was Floch and upon his back was a familiar looking man who had a blood-stained side.

"Captain…I've finally found you," he said looking at us, tears in his eyes, "It's the Commander…he is hurt…his stomach is gouged and his inside are all scrambled…the blood just won't stop. I thought the injection might be able to help…what do you think?"

There was a moment of silence that followed as we were all staring at him but the Captain Levi withdraw the injection from giving it to Eren. A shocked expression crossed the young man's face but Levi barely noticed it as he walked toward Floch as the two of them placed the Commander upon his back on the roof. He looked pale from the last time I saw him, and his clothing were dirty with mud and blood. Levi placed a hand by his nose, testing his breath.

"It's faint but somehow…he is breathing…Erwin… _you're alive._ "

Levi stood up, holding the injection.

"You know what has to happen, Erwin get the shot."

Eren suddenly stood up as well a dark rage crossing his features as he stared at the Captain. A tense situation just fell a lot of worse now as the young man was staring at the Captain, his green eyes venomous with the burning rage he was feeling.

"You can't…you told me you'd use it on Armin," he said.

I stood up as well, still feeling exhausted but I was not yet out of this situation.

"I'm going to revive the person who can save humanity," Levi answered simply.

There was the ring of a blade being drawn and Mikasa was there, a step forward holding a paring blade in hand, thought that hand was shaking. Her dark eyes were wide with emotions and the grief she was feeling was all to visible to witness.

" _Mikasa…_ ," I said, my tone holding a hint of warning of what she was trying to do.

Levi had noticed as well as he glanced briefly at her direction for a moment before looking at Eren.

"You two…do you have the faintest clue of what you're doing?" Levi asked, barely holding the anger in his tone, "This is Erwin, the Commander of the Scouts, _and you're telling me to watch him die_?"

He gave them both a stern glare.

"There is no time for this…get out of my way."

He made to move but Eren grabbed the hand that had the injection, stopping him.

"Eren…check your emotions," Levi said.

"Sorry Captain…can't do that," Eren replied, "Tell me…why didn't you give Armin the injection right away?"

Levi stared up at him.

"I was thinking about Erwin," he said, "Considering the possibility he might be alive."

"But you have no way of knowing that Floch will carry the Commander here," Eren argued, "There is no way you would have seen that coming."

"You aren't wrong Eren," Levi answered him, still as calm as ever, "But the fact remains that he is here now, so I'll revive him."

Eren made to pull the injection out of his hand but Levi smashed him in the face with his other one sending the young man tumbling toward the edge of the roof. At that moment, Mikasa struck forward rushing toward the man's turned back with her blade raised yelling an anguished scream.

She jumped toward the Captain throwing him on the ground, her blade at his neck…

 _Fuck…_

I rushed forward body slamming her off the man as the two of us rolled upon the tiles of the roof. I pushed myself up, staring at the dark-haired girl who was already back on her feet and moving faster than a stray cat aiming straight at me with her blade, her eyes black with rage.

" _NO DON'T_ …," Levi yelled.

But it was already too late.

The paring blade had pierced right through my chest.

Pain surged through me like a Warhammer and I was so shocked that I didn't even realized that I had been stabbed at first, however, as the pain continued to grow stronger and stronger, I find myself stepping back from the girl across me.

The rage in Mikasa's eyes was gone replaced with a look of horror at the realization of what she had just done in her blind rage. She instantly pulled the blade out, the crimson shade of my blood coating a weapon that has been made to kill Titan and yet, that blade had pierced me straight through my chest…

 _Which wasn't steaming at all…_

Instead a river of blood had started to fall from the wound as I placed a hand upon it in confusion as to why it wasn't steaming. It was supposed to be steaming. That was what always happened whenever I was injured before but now it wasn't even steaming at all…

"Sarah…oh god…," Mikasa whispered, her blade clattering on the roof beside her.

I fell to my knees as blood continued to slip between my fingers.

"I…I'm not…healing," I said, the taste of rusting iron on my lips.

There was the sound of many other ODM gears reaching the area but I could hardly hear anyone's voices at all…it was like the entire world had gone in slow motion somehow, their voices becoming harder and harder to sort out but it sounded like an argument had broken out…

The world was also darkening as well…

 _Why am I not healing? Did I exhaust my Titan power too much to heal…_

 _Am I going to die…_

The darkness was staring to grow stronger and the light dimmer…

 _I can't die yet…not before seeing what's out there…_

The darkness grew even more as only a faint light remained…

 _Sonja…help…me…_

The sound of footsteps echoed in the darkness and a woman stood above me. At first, I thought that it was Sonja but strangely enough, the woman was dressed differently than her. She stood above me; her face clouded in shadows as her hair fell down around her shoulder in light curls. There was a light coming from behind her head, extending toward the heavens above her which was filled with a dizzying number of lights that it was shocking…

The woman then extended her hand down at me and I felt the lightest touch against my skin…

In that moment, I saw her features although blurry, the woman oddly reminded me of…

" _Mom?_ "

Then the world exploded with light.

* * *

 **A strange happening...**

 **Next Time:** Truth

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	64. Truth

**Hey guys, thanks for the awesome reviews last chapter. Made me smile reading them, but anyway here is the next one**

 **So enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A small flower dancing in the wind as shadows of people were visible around it.

Chapter Sixty-Four

The Town Where Everything Began

Truth

" _Sarah, why don't you go outside and play your flute?"_

Roselyn Reyne watched as her daughter's face changed. Having known Sarah all her life, she can't help but feel the light exasperation coursing through her as she watched the child, the annoyance that was clear to see upon her features.

"What?"

"It will be just for a few minutes," she told the child with a light motherly smile.

Sarah let out a sigh, but she did as she was asked of and walked out of the house closing the door behind her. Roselyn moved toward the window, watching the young girl stalk across the small courtyard that was behind the house. She can tell from how Sarah was walking that something was bothering the girl.

"Rose."

She turned her gaze toward her elder sister. Maria looked far too old for her age, Roselyn noticed firstly when she saw her sister again after nearly four years of not talking to each other. Her hair was matted with white and her golden eyes were different from back then too, like the girl had come and gone through hell itself.

"I wished it was better tidings that brought us back together again," she said.

Maria let out a scoff.

"There is nothing like that in the Walls," she said, "But despite how long it has been since we last seen each other, it is nice to see you again Rose. How is life treating you by the way?"

Roselyn thought back to her husband and the grand home that she was staying in ever since her daughter was born. It wasn't a bad life to be truly honest but Roselyn knew that it was a loveless life.

"I liked it better when I stayed in our old home," she answered honestly, "The atmosphere was friendlier."

Maria let out a brief smile as she sat down at the table.

"I need you to be the next Vessel," she said.

Roselyn turned her attention toward her sister, her amber eyes narrowing lightly.

"You've been carrying it for at least ten years now," she said, "Isn't it too soon?"

Maria glanced at her.

"You know very well that I wasn't to be the one to carry it," she said, "That was our brother's but he turned it down in favor of joining the Survey Corps…and you know how that story ended. Got himself killed barely three months in service and I have no children of my own to pass it down…"

"And you think I want to have it so that my daughter can inherit our family's sins?" Roselyn argued with a frown upon her features.

Maria looked at her.

"Its our duty sister," she said, "As the Ashler bloodline we have to…"

" _Don't say that name_ ," Roselyn spat, anger in her tone, "Do you forget how many spies the King has?"

"This is not the Interior where you live Rose," Maria told her, "Why do you think I came to live here in Shingashina among the farmers and whatnots? If I lived near Trost or even Sina I'd be found out by their interior Squad…and I've got wind that Kenny the Reaper joined their ranks too…one of the reasons why the Ackerman clan isn't persecuted anymore…thought doubt many of them are still alive to pose a threat at this point.."

Roselyn turned her gaze away from her. Maria let out a sign.

"I wish things were different," she said, "But if our family lose this power…then all of the sacrifice that was made so that our blood can survive this long will be for nothing."

"Did you see the memories then?" Roselyn asked, a curious tilt in her tone.

"If you're talking about the Outside World no I didn't," Maria said, "There is…only a blank canvas where the memories are supposed to be. It was just like the stories that were passed down. The memories of the outside world are not reachable by us."

Roselyn turned her gaze toward the window once more where her daughter was.

"It's too risky Maria," she said, "I can't inherit it. It's already hard enough to live in Sina, but if I inherited that same madness that had followed our bloodline…my daughter will never be safe. When I received your letter, I had a feeling that this is what you wanted to talk about but I can't do it Maria…I can't subject her to that life…not too that hell."

"That' is a risk you have to take," Maria argued, "It's a risk that we all faced when we inherited the Power. I didn't succumb when I gained the power and not even our father did when he inherited it. The madness ended when the Ashler were believed to have been killed all those years ago. This is the duty that was passed down to us…"

"Then _fuck it_ ," Roselyn snarled, " _What did that duty to the dead give us?_ Don't you get it Maria, it doesn't matter what we try to do, we can't break free from Fritz's chains. Anyone who'd tried to fight back disappear. They have complete control over everything…as long as he has the Founding Titan…they are no future for us."

Maria stood up from where she was seating an angry expression crossing her features as she was getting ready to yell at her sister but then suddenly the world shook around them. Roselyn stumbled backward against the wall as everything around them shook terribly.

"What the hell…?" Kyle said shocked at what was happening around them, "An earthquake?"

Maria having gotten her balance had ashen expression upon her features.

"This sound like an explosion…," she said softly.

The group stepped out of the house and into the courtyard and Roselyn attention was drawn toward the Wall were smoke was seen visible but what shocked her more was the sight of a skinless face visible at the top of the Wall.

"Wa…?" Roselyn said shocked.

From beside her, Maria suddenly clutched her head in pain, steam rising from around the young woman's form as she collapsed down upon her knees.

"Maria, are you okay?" Kyle called to her, "Maria?"

There was a sudden boom again and Roselyn saw a wave of cloud of destruction coming from the direction of the District Gate as massive boulders shoot out into the air and one of them was coming down straight toward them…

No behind them…

Roselyn suddenly turned her head behind her, finding her daughter standing there looking at the sky as well, completely frozen with pure terror visible upon her features.

She moved before she even knew what was happening. Roselyn rushed forward, running as hard as she could wanting to reach her before the boulder could crush the one thing, she loved most in the entire world…

Her precious child…

" _SARAH_ ,"

She took hold of her daughter clothing, yanking her away from danger and their two eyes met despite everything…

And then nothingness.

* * *

 _Wall Maria will fall one day…and Sarah told me about it._

 _You're insane just like your father…_

 _Please don't do this…_

 _Mom…_

 _Sarah why don't you go play your flute…_

 _Sarah and Mikasa…._

* * *

"Maria,"

She looked up at Kyle's face. The man was staring down at her from the entrance of the room It was a few days after the Fall of Wall Maria and the young woman was holding upon Sarah's sleeping form as the young child had her head upon her lap.

"She had a nightmare," Maria answered giving the man a light smile, "I heard her scream."

"Not an easy thing losing her mother like that," Kyle told her as the man came to stand at the foot of the bed, "Do you need anything?"

Maria shook her head.

"You can go back to sleep love," she said, "I'll stay with her."

Kyle give her a concerned glance.

"You're sure?" he asked.

Maria smiled at him.

"I am."

The man gave her a brief kiss before he left the room, closing the door behind him. Maria turned her gaze toward the sleeping child that was upon her lap, running a hand through her hair. She still couldn't believe it, even after a few days that the disaster had happened, she still couldn't believe that something like that would have happened.

" _It's you,"_ she whispered looking at the young child, "All this time… _it was you_."

She let out a small sound.

"I thought it was strange that Rose's daughter bear that name," she said softly, "However…to tell you the truth, it's part of the reason why I wanted to pass the Power to her. I thought that she'd be the one to give you the power…"

The pieces had finally been pushed together.

The strange memories that had surged forward when she saw the Colossal Titan that day but like she was seeing it through different eyes.

Also, the memory of an Armored Titan running across a field with Titans all around it…

A cloak bearing the Wings of Freedom of the Survey Corps…

Maria looked down at the young girl.

"Sarah…," she whispered, "You're the Salvation we've been waiting for all this time…."

Tears were falling from Maria's eyes.

"I'm so glad…," she said, "So glad that our efforts hadn't been in vain."

She looked toward the figure that stood in the corner, invisible to all except her.

" _Isn't that right Sonja_?"

The young woman with the white dress upon her form smiled lightly.

"The long journey is almost over Maria," she said, "But she is not yet ready to wield that power yet. Her eyes are not yet opened to the world…to the cruelty of it."

Maria looked down at the child.

"Rose will never forgive me if I do this," she said, "If I dragged her into this hell…"

"Being born inside the Walls," Sonja said, "She is already in hell. We just need to make sure she can remain alive long enough to reach it… _to reach the sea_."

Maria glanced at her.

"Why is that so important?" she asked.

But Sonja was gone, leaving her alone with Sarah slumbering upon her lap.

* * *

" _I hate them all…I wish they would all disappear from the world."_

" _You wish to fight?"_

 _The girl stared at her._

" _In this world, if you want something Sarah, you have to fight with all your hearts to get it. This world we live in, it's going to want to bury you with cruelty and despair, but you have to crawl with all your might, but even then, you might not get it."_

" _Then how do I fight?"_

" _If you can't figure that one out, then you won't survive."_

* * *

Maria plunged the needle in the back of Sarah's neck as the girl's body suddenly locked up, her mouth opened in a silent scream injecting the liquid within her. Her body steamed becoming so hot like it was going to catch fire but it didn't as the girl only collapsed upon the ground in front of her.

"She didn't transform," Maria whispered.

"Her blood is part of us," Sonja spoke out looking at the young girl, "She is not of the same race as the people who live within this Walls."

Maria looked at Sonja who was staring at Sarah's form with a look akin to pity.

"It will make sure that her body is ready to become the next Vessel," she continued, "You have done well to convince her."

"I wasn't going to lie to her," Maria growled.

"But you didn't tell her the full truth either," Sonja answered, "As to why you were giving her the Power in the first place."

"Maybe not the version you were hoping for," Maria said picking the child up in her arms, "Telling her lies will only make all the sacrifices meaningless. Besides, there are nothing in this world that is an absolute truth. My truth can be different than your truth. Fundamentally they can be the same thing, but truth is only acceptable when it's in accordance with our world's views."

Sonja only chuckled.

"A cynic through and through aren't you Maria Ashler?"

Maria didn't answer her.

"I'm going to miss our conversations," Sonja said.

She stopped walking and then turned to face the strange apparition.

"Sonja…who exactly are you?" she asked.

Sonja's attention was looking out toward the sky for a few moments.

"All I am…is a promise," she said, "That is waiting to be fulfilled."

Maria observed her for a moment.

"You know about it don't you?" she asked.

Sonja tiled her head lightly.

"The lost memories that are hidden from us," Maria continued, "About why we aren't connected to Curse of Ymir? All the questions that the Vessels before had when we carried the Titan within us. I can't be the only one you appeared to."

"It is as you realized," Sonja spoke out, "Sarah is your Salvation. The many that died so that you could reach this place. it was all so that she could be born in this world. You have your duty before you Maria and I hope you will fulfill it to the end…for if you don't, then a lot of people died for nothing."

And then she was gone leaving Maria along holding Sarah within her arms.

She stared at the sleeping child in her arms.

 _What makes you so important? That we were waiting for you to come for years? My family carried that Titan for decades all in the hopes that you will be able to carry it someday…the salvation of our family…_

 _The family that was completely eradicated on the King's orders…I don't know if that was the truth or maybe it was the truth that everyone accepted? Without Markus and Roselyn…I was the one chosen to carry this power. Could all of this had been preordained? Like I was walking down a path that someone had already written for me? Our entire lives someone else's designs? If that was truth, then…this world is really a fucked up one._

 _After all, who is the psychopath who will sacrifice so many lives…just so that one child can be born?_

She injected the needle within the child's arm and then, Maria stepped back as Sarah fell upon her knees, steam rising from around her body. Sarah then looked up at her, her eyes wide with confusion at what was happening within her body and then she extended one of her hands toward her.

"Maria…," she called out her voice filled with pain, confusion and fear.

Then Sarah was no more in an explosion of light and steam and a Titan was in it's place in a crouched position. Long white hair danced in the wind of the explosion as the golden eyes turned toward her, no trace of the child…as all that remained was the hungry monster that wanted to devour human beings.

The large hand quickly wrapped around Maria and she was pulled up toward the Titan's jaws which opened but Maria didn't even struggle at all, as death was getting closer to her.

 _I am truly sorry Sarah…that you were born in such a shitty world…_

 _I am sorry…that this burden will be thrown upon your shoulders…_

 _I am sorry…that I won't be there anymore to watch you grow into a woman._

 _I am sorry…I put this on your daughter Rose…_

The large teeth came down upon Maria as she was ripped into two pieces as jet of blood flew everywhere…

 _This world…is really a shitty cruel world…_

* * *

Hange Zoe was seating down upon a box with a thoughtful expression upon her features. It had been hours since the battle for Shingashina and they had become victorious over the Titans, thought, the Scouts have come away with extreme losses in the process along with Commander Erwin.

The woman was thinking back to Moblit who had sacrificed himself so that she could live and thinking about that caused her to tightened her hand into a fist. The sound of an ODM in use caused to look up with her working eye finding Levi landing across her. The man had a light frown upon his features as he approached toward her. Hange simply returned her gaze toward the object that was across her.

"I had the others search for any survivors," Levi answered, "However, it seems to be a lost cause. That Beast Titan didn't really leave much behind from his attacks."

"Armin?" she asked.

"We've taken him to the top of the Wall," Levi said, "He hasn't woken up yet…any change here?"

Levi turned his gaze toward where she was looking at. Right across the two Scouts was a pillar made of the same hardening Titan ability however it seem that's where the comparison ended. It was seemingly fused to the soil of the ground almost like the crystal had grown from the very ground itself and it was as smooth as glass thought what the two were looking at was the figure that was inside the crystal.

Sarah Ashler's form which was suspended within the hardening with both of her eyes closed almost like she was sleeping within it.

"No," Hange answered.

The man let out tch sound from his lips.

This situation wasn't favorable at all. With the crystal fused to the ground, they had no means of removing it and considering how heavy it was, there was no way they could carry it all the way back to Trost District and it will take too long to travel with it during the night.

There was nothing they could do for her.

"Never expected her to pull the same move as Annie Leonhardt," Levi said.

"I have been thinking," Hange said, "If this is the same thing as Annie did, could it mean that we will have no way of removing her from within it? Just like Annie there are no way of getting to her and using a Thunder Spear might cause more damage than good and there is a chance she could be harmed and we can't carry back with us…not with the equipment we have and I doubt we can even remove it from the ground."

Levi glanced at her.

"You're saying you want to leave her here?"

"We might not have a choice," Hange said, standing up, "And then there is the Mikasa situation we're going to have to deal with when we get back to the city…both Mikasa and Eren really."

Levi let out a sigh.

"I thought she was starting to learn," he said and he sounded strangely disappointed to Hange, "And then, went and did this…there a good chance she'll either be in jail for the rest of her life or face a firing squad."

"I know," Hange answered simply, "But those are the only options we have right about now…shit options, but options nonetheless."

"The higher ups aren't going to like this," Levi told her.

"No…but it's what we have," the woman said.

The sound of a flare going off drew their attention toward the Wall.

"Huh…seems' Armin's awake," Levi spoke out, "I left Jean up there to keep an eye on things."

Hange turned her gaze back toward the crystal in front of them.

"Go," she said, "I'll join you shortly."

Levi gave her a look but the man obeyed her as he flew back toward the direction of where the Wall was. Hange turned her gaze back at the girl within the crystal. Sarah's features were peaceful as if one was asleep within her crystal prison, thought the blood on her clothing negated that peace. Hange ran a hand through her hair as she turned away from the crystal wanting to go back up toward the others so that they could get things going.

 _I don't want to leave her here,_ Hange thought, _However, the situation is not something that we can fix right now. This situation is not favorable at all. If only I could have gotten there sooner, I could have stopped Mikasa from acting out…I could have stopped it all from happening._

 _But because I was too late…we lost something valuable to humanity…._

 _We lost a comrade…and I don't think we can get her back…_

* * *

 **The truth of the past is revealed...and Sarah is...**

 **Next Time:** The World's Truth

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	65. The World's Truth

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Sorry for the long wait and hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Eren's basement key lying upon a table beside three books.

Chapter Sixty-Five

The Town where Everything Began

The World's Truth

Hange was about to launch forward with her ODM gear when a sudden explosion of a Titan transformation took place behind her sending the young woman flinging forward and rolling upon her shoulder and turning to face where the explosion, happened eyes wide.

Across her, where the crystal was, in it's place was the Gray Titan. It was upon her knees with the long white hair falling around it's face. Steam blew from it's skin as the Titan's golden eyes flashed from beneath the mop of hair as it was looking around itself, almost like… in confusion.

 _She transformed into a Titan…but how could that be? I thought a wound was needed for the transformation to occur…that's how it had always had been…_

Then the Titan's gaze found her and Hange find herself frozen in shock as those eyes gazed down at her. The Titan didn't move after her meaning that somehow Sarah was in control of it…at least as far the woman was assuming.

"…Sarah?" she called out, cautiously.

The Titan's mouth moved and Hange find herself instantly stepping back, thinking that it was going to go berserk…

" **Sea…,"** a grumbling voice echoed around the two of them, " **Take her…to the sea…"**

Hange feel her eye widen as she stared at the Titan in front of her. The Titan had just spoken to her. She had read about it a few years ago about a Talking Titan in Ilse Lagnar's notebook but she had never really paused to think about just how surreal the experience would be. She knew that the Titan have vocal organs but they don't normally speak or even if they could but for Sarah's Titan to be capable to speech…

 _But during our experiments, she wasn't able to speak before no matter how much she tries…._

Then something sparked within Hange's mind.

 _Wait…take her? Why would Sarah…_

She looked at the Titan.

"Sarah is that you?" she asked.

The Titan let out a groan as it collapsed down upon the ground in front of her in boom, destroying one of houses with her arm. Hange raised a hand in front of her face as a wave of dust and steam pushed through as the Titan was starting to evaporate away…

"Hange?"

The sound of ODM being used turned her attention toward them finding Levi with Floch, along with Connie there. The trio were armed with their swords as they came to land beside her.

"We heard the explosion…is it the enemy?" Levi asked.

"No, it's not," she said, "It's…"

"No way…," Floch said shocked as he was staring at something behind them.

The two Scouts turned toward the direction finding someone standing upon the collapsed Titan's body staring down at them.

* * *

 **SARAH POV**

Hot…

It was so hot…

Pressing down around me making it difficult to breath but the heat was also a familiar one. I can feel flesh sticking to my face and body but when I moved, the flesh simply fell away from me and it opened up as a blast of cooled air hit my face and I took a deep breath of that air.

It smelled fresh yet there was the underlayer of burnt within it, almost like something was burning sometime ago that the lingered taste of the smoke remained in the air. I opened my eyes finding myself staring at the body of my Titan beneath me.

 _When did I transform? Wait…where am I?_

I pulled myself out of the fleshy form of my Titan and walked out of it, trying to see through the steam but it was too thick to see through fully. I heard some voices coming from one of the directions so I head up where I was hearing it, stepping through the steam that was around me.

Across where I was standing was Captain Levi and Hange along with Connie and Floch.

"It can't be…," Floch said shocked as the young man stared at me.

They all turned to look at me and I can see shock in their gaze as they stared at me. I stepped down from my Titan approaching them, feeling nothing but confusion at their looks.

"What had just happened?" I asked.

"You don't remember anything?" Levi asked, his tone curious.

I frowned to myself for a moment but my memory was completely blank. At least, that's how it was at first but then the surge of memories started to pour through.

Erwin's speech and suicidal charge against the Beast Titan…

Me getting swarmed by Titans…

Returning to the wall finding Armin's burned corpse…

Mikasa stabbing me…

I instantly raised hand toward where the wound was through my clothing and found myself touching scarred skin. I stared down at where the scar was seeing the blood that was upon my clothing. Hange approached toward me.

"You remembered then," she said and it wasn't a question.

I nodded.

"I…I remembered everything."

"Good at least we won't have to explain everything to you," Hange said, "Let's return to the Wall and we'll finally make a decision about everything there. I assume Eren already told Armin what happened."

"He was…at least until the explosion," Levi said.

Hange nodded.

"W…What happened to me after I was stabbed?" I asked.

"You were dying," Hange said, "However before we could do anything you turned the soil you were lying on into a Titan's hardening. No idea on how you did that but you were encased into a crystal-like Annie…we weren't even sure we could move you since it was somehow molded into the ground."

I frowned.

"I transformed the ground into hardening?" I repeated shocked.

 _How did I manage to do that? I thought that only the Titan's body could be used with the hardening power…_

"But we have you back now," Hange said, "Maybe things will start looking up for once…despite everything that had happened to us."

I looked at her, feeling suddenly apprehensive. This mission had been completely messed up all the way to hell and it seems that we are the only few that remained. Following after them, I scaled the Wall until I reached the top of it finding the group had set up camp there. I caught sight of Jean seating on a box as Armin, Eren and Mikasa were seating together.

A flash of betrayal sparked within my chest when I caught sight of the trio but I didn't say anything as we all walked forward. I couldn't really blame Armin for what happened to me, however, Eren and Mikasa lost their cool during the mission and if I wasn't a Titan, I would have died from her attack, plain and simple.

I noticed their looks of shock at the sight of me approaching with the rest but I didn't say anything to either of them, choosing to stand beside Hange who had taken a seat on the wooden box that was there. From Armin's shocked expressions as he was watching me, he must have been brought up to speed with what had happened to Erwin and the result of what was going on.

"Captain…why did you pick me?" Armin asked looking at the man, "No matter how you look at it, Commander Erwin's the one humanity needed the most…why was I the one to gain the injection?"

Levi let out a tching sound before kicking Eren in the back.

"Hey, I thought I told you to tell him everything," he said annoyance within his tone, "It was a woefully short debate. Your friends here argued that you were the one that should be revived and when I disagree, they staged a little munity almost costing us Sarah's life."

"It's true," Eren said sounding remorseful, "Punish us as you will."

Hange turned her gaze toward both of them.

"You'll certainly be punished for your insubordination," she said, "But getting punished isn't the same as making amends…however, Mikasa's punishment is going to be a whole lot worse after all, you assaulted a fellow Scout. It is the death penalty for that."

Eren suddenly looked at her, his eyes wide and he paled a little. Mikasa didn't even looked up as she had her face toward the ground, too ashamed to even look at anyone. I glanced at the girl for a few moments, before looking down at Hange.

"Can I say something Hange?"

The woman glanced at me.

"What is it?"

"About the death penalty," I said, "Can you not say anything about the stabbing at all."

Hange stayed silent, wanting me to finish what I had to say. I can see Eren and Armin looking at me from across where I stood and Mikasa didn't look up at all yet.

"I'm not saying that both her and Eren aren't to be punished for their insubordination with the munity" I continued, "however, since I am not actually dead, then there is no charge to press against her at all. As long as it is kept out of the records of what happened during the mission, no one but us here should be any wiser."

"You're asking us to lie in a report?" Levi asked narrowing his eyes.

"I'm just saying that we don't need to add that part in," I argued, "The people of the Walls send us Scout out here so that we could gain a victory for humanity…and despite everything that had happened, we managed to win…it will sully our victory if the first thing we did when we come back is condemn one of our own to death."

"Sarah…," Eren started.

I turned my gaze toward them.

"I'm not doing this for you," I cut him off, "We've already have too many deaths here…I just don't want to add another one…and a needless one at that."

Captain Levi and Hange seems to look at each other for a few moments almost like they were having a silent conversation but then the woman sighed.

"You kids are unbelievable sometimes," she said, "Fine…we'll keep it between us Scouts…Armin, I know this is not the situation that you've wanted to wake up to but you should be aware that you were the one chosen to be with the power over Erwin's life. Carry them both on your back as you move forward."

A look crossed the blonde's features.

"Does this mean…I have to be…Erwin's replacement?" he asked, "T...There is no way that I…"

"Don't misunderstand us," Levi spoke out, "There is no way that you could ever replace Erwin…that's said, self doubt aside, you have a strength in you that no one else can claim. Don't let any of us regret this. Not me…not either one of our mutineers…not anyone else. Especially don't regret it yourself…consider that your new mission."

Armin stared at the man for moment, his face shocked.

" _Shut the hell up,"_ Sasha suddenly spoke out from her bedroll drawing everyone's attention at her.

The girl was still not fully conscious from what I can see so she must just be reacting to the sounds around her…surprisingly Hange had started to laugh, her shoulders shaking lightly.

"That's our Sasha…always speaking her mind," she said almost wistful in her tone, "You know since Erwin chose me as the Commander to succeed him, I'm in the same boat as you are. We just have to grin and bear it, while doing what we can."

Armin stayed silent for a moment.

"I'll try," he answered.

Hange observed him before nodding.

"Good," she said standing up, "Now that we know Armin's alright, and Sarah is back among us…let's go check out that cellar. Eren Mikasa, you two can guide me and Levi there while the rest of you keep watch for enemies here on the Wall."

"Got it."

Hange's gaze turns toward Eren.

"Eren…you still have the key right?"

The young man raised a hand toward his shirt.

"Yes," he answered, "Let's do this."

The duo stood up and started getting ready to leave and I took Hange's previous seat and the group flew off the Wall leaving us behind. I stayed seating there as the wind blew through the area for a few moments of silence.

"Let's hope whatever is waiting in that basement truly is worth everything that happened," Jean said.

Armin stayed silent and I didn't even bother to speak out. I had nothing to add really about what could be waiting in that basement other than the truth. The truth that had eluded us for far too long. That same truth that caused Reiner, Annie and Berthold to be our enemies…and the truth that my family was slaughtered to near extinction…the truth that the King stole from us when he built the Walls…

And that truth will finally be in our grasp.

Thought that wasn't the only idea that was running through my mind. The memories that were unlocked within me now were now swirling within my subconscious. My mother's memories were the first that came to me and they were the memories of that day before she died…a fragment really of what she was thinking…

But then, there were Maria's memories and the betrayal like feeling stung within me. Maria was aware of the truth about the Ashler family but she kept it quiet. She never revealed anything to me at all and I was more shocked that Sonja appeared to her as well…

 _I should have expected it…I knew I couldn't be the only one that she appeared to. I was naïve to think that something like that…but why hadn't she told me anything? Why do I need to reach this…sea? What is waiting for me there?_

"Sarah?"

I turned my gaze toward Armin who was standing in front of me with the cover wrapped around him. I straightened up.

"You sure you should be walking around?"

Armin let out a small smile.

"I'm alright," he said, "I feel mostly rested up right now."

I gave him a light nod, turning my gaze toward Shingashina once more.

"When they come back," Armin said, "They'll know the truth about the world."

I let out a soft hum of agreement.

"Then all we're going to have to do is accept that truth," I spoke out, "Whether we liked it or not."

"Yeah," Armin agreed.

"Say…what does the sea looks like?"

"Huh?"

"The sea," I repeated glancing at him, "You know how it looks like right?"

Armin seems to think about it.

"I…I haven't seen it myself but in the book my grandfather had," he said, "They describe it as a body of water so large that it stretches all over the horizon and for some reason it's salty."

I stayed silent for a moment.

"Huh…that sounds almost too unbelievable to imagine," I said, "But it sounds nice….and I want to see it someday, with my own eyes. I want to see something that I can never imagine."

I lowered my head into my hands.

"I'm tired of it you know Armin," I said softly, "tired of all those betrayals…"

I can feel his gaze upon me at my words.

"What do you mean?"

My hand brushes over the scar that I now have on my chest.

"I guess I was the one fooling herself into feeling something for her," I told him, "I thought that we had a connection Mikasa and I…but she didn't even hesitate before driving her sword through my heart and I would have been dead if it wasn't for my Titan powers."

Armin didn't say anything. I let out a small sigh.

"I'm just glad she made it clear to me," I told him, "On where I stand for her."

"Mikasa isn't like that and you know it," Armin told me.

"Maybe to you and Eren," I told him standing up and looking at the young man, "Look, I'm not talking for you to argue about your friends Armin…I was just thinking out loud."

I walked away from him coming to stand on the edge of the Wall staring down toward the district of Shingashina. Now that I think about it, Maria's house was here in this very place and yet, I could barely remember where it was. After all, I was just a child when I first came here and when my world ended and then everything that had happened since then.

Sonja was right in a way.

Ever since I was born…I was in hell.

It had taken some hours before Hange, Levi Eren and Mikasa returned from the basement. The sun had gotten low at that moment and when they reached us, both Hange and Levi were ashen faced and even Eren looked like he was about to vomit. Mikasa…well, there was an horror in her gaze that I hadn't seen since the day Eren supposedly died.

Eren was carrying three hard cover books with him.

"Captain Hange…did you figure out the Titan's secrets?" Jean asked.

Hange looked at us, her eye showing nothing of the determination she had when she left. She looked oddly lost for lack of better word and then she started to speak, revealing everything they had learned when they found Grisha Yeager's secret about the world.

For the next hour, we all were dead silent hearing about the truth. That humanity was thriving outside of the Walls. About the history of how the Walls came to be…the name of our race called Eldians…about the hatred that the world has for Eldians…the same hatred that we had for the Titans….

 _Yeah…you were right Sonja…I was born in hell…_

* * *

 **The truth of the world is revealed to Sarah...**

 **Next Time:** The Parting Paths

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	66. The Parting Paths

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfiction. Hope you have been enjoying the read so far.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new chapter.**

 **Chapter Cover:** The Scout flag dancing in the wind

Chapter Sixty-Six

The Parting Paths

 **A few days later…**

 **Trost District**

I was wearing my military clothing upon my body as I stepped into the room. I glanced around myself for a few moments taking in the room that we were in at the moment with both of my hands into my pocket. The morning light was starting to get into the area I was in and I stepped out of the Scout HQ looking out toward the empty sky above me.

It had been a few days since we came back from the Shingashina retrieval mission. It had been a success as we were all hoping it to be but with the lives of many Scouts having fallen…if not the entire Regiment save for a few souls. Headquarters was oddly silent these past few days with the female dorms which were usually filled with voices and people were now as silent as a tomb, with only the ghost of memories remaining.

With Jean and Sasha at a hospital, Eren and Mikasa in jail, the few that usually stayed there were myself, Connie, Captain Levi and Commander Hange thought Floch was somewhat around here when I saw him but we never exchanged words, not since we came back from the Expedition. I let out a small sigh thinking about what we have learned about the world…

The truth that many laid down their lives for…

 _This is really hell isn't it…_ I thought to myself.

While at the time we didn't know the truth, many believed that we would have found a way to get rid of the Titans forever and maybe finally take back the world that was lost to us a hundred years ago, but what we found out was that the world would rather we all disappear from existence. The people on the outside of the Walls doesn't even consider us human at all…to them all, we are the monsters they tell their children to be wary of….

Subjects of Ymir…Devils…

Sonja was been unusually distant. She hadn't appeared to me anymore…not since we've discovered the truth and it made me wonder if she was hiding away from me or maybe, she didn't feel the need to show herself to me any longer. Just at the time when I actually needed to talk to her, she goes and does this to me.

The sound of hooves approaching finding Captain Levi riding upon a horse. The man stopped his horse in front of the building.

"Sarah, you're the only one here?" he asked.

"Floch is here as well," I answered.

Levi nodded.

"Get yourself in your formal wear," the man said, "The Scout Regiment has been summoned by her Royal Majesty."

I frowned.

"Historia is here in Trost?" I questioned surprised.

"She is," he said, "Now get to it…I'll take care of Floch."

I nodded at him and went to do as he asked. For Historia to come herself from the capital. Then the Royal Government had finally decided what they were going to do with the information that the Scouts had given them about the outside world. I knew that something like that must have been coming sooner or later.

When I was done dressing, Floch and I climbed upon our horses and followed after the Captain through the streets of the District.

"Hange is waiting at the prison," he said, "Sarah, you'll be with me. Floch you continue on ahead and meet up with Jean and the rest."

"Yes sir," the young man said.

"We're going to the prison?" I repeated, surprised, "Why?"

"The Queen requested all of the Scout members to be present," Levi answered, "That also include our mutineers."

 _Eren and Mikasa,_ I thought, feeling the ghost like feeling at the scar I now bear.

"Then if the Queen ordered it," I said, simply, "Then we have to carry out the order."

Levi didn't answer me at all as our horses continued down the road. It will be nearly two weeks since Mikasa and Eren were carried off into the cells so they could serve the sentence they have to pay for what they've done when we were in Shingashina. Like Hange had promised me, the report of what transpired to me never reached the papers meaning they won't be any execution for Mikasa coming up.

 _A last act of kindness,_ I thought to myself.

Hange and Armin were waiting for us when we arrived, I noticed. Both of them dressed up in their formal wear as well. Armin looked up at me when the two of us approached.

"I didn't know you were going to be here Sarah," he said.

"I didn't know I was going to be here either," I answered him.

"C'mon, let's go and get our mutineers out," Levi spoke out as he walked into the building.

The two walked in front of us as Armin and I followed after them.

"How are they?" I asked him.

Armin glanced at me in surprise for a moment before his face fell lightly.

"Well…Eren's been reliving some of his father's memories," he said, "With what we had found in the basement and all of the information we've gathered up until now, it is starting to form a cohesive story."

"Is that so?" I murmured to myself.

"How are you anyway?" Armin asked.

"Well still breathing at least," I answered, "I can count that as a good thing."

Armin gave a simple nod when we reached the level they were keeping the prisoners in. It was completely silent and dark save for the torches that lit up the hallway we were walking through. As we passed one of the cells, I came to a stop and glanced inside of it finding Mikasa inside of it. The girl was seating on the bed with her legs pulled up and resting her face against her knees but when I came to a stop in front of the cell, the girl looked up at me.

She blinked, confusion appearing upon her features.

"Sarah?" she said, shocked.

"You look like shit," was the answer I gave her.

The girl stood up from where she sat. She was barefoot as she approached toward where I was standing, a confused look upon her features as she was staring at me. She was looking at me like she couldn't really believe I was standing there in front of her on the other side of the bars.

"Sarah I…," she started.

I heard Hange saying something that drew my attention as both her and Levi were getting into an argument about Eren saying weird things while he was by himself. I let out a sigh as Levi opened the cell door letting the young man out before he handed me the keys.

I unlocked Mikasa's door and opened the cell.

"You're free to go," I answered her, "We have an important meeting today so you best get dressed."

I turned away from her giving Eren a glance. The boy looked like he had seen better days but he seems to be in a better shape then Mikasa was. He was staring at me as well, a strange expression crossing his features as he was looking but he didn't say anything, only turning his gaze toward his sister as the two started to converse quietly.

"Get dressed already," Levi spoke out drawing their gaze.

"Where are we going anyway?" Eren asked.

"A state meeting," the man said, "Her Majesty has come to Trost."

We all made our way out of the dungeons. It was a quiet walk for me, as I had both my hands in my pockets not wanting to say anything to anyone, still stuck feeling the betrayal of what had happened on the roof back in Shingashina. It was feeling very similar to sickness, like I almost wanting to vomit with the conflicting emotions that were within me. I didn't want to say anything to her, less I said something that I wasn't ready to admit myself.

"Well you can get dressed up here," Hange said, "I'll go and get things going with Historia. There is still something I want to talk with her about before the meeting starts. You two can handle things here right?"

"Sure," I said and Mikasa simply nodded.

Hange stared at the two of us with her lone eye for a few moments before walking out of the room leaving us alone. It was a changing room with a bath so that she could get ready for the meeting that was coming up.

Without a word, I made my way toward the entrance of the room and took hold of the handle.

"Sarah…wait," Mikasa called out.

I stopped at the door, but I didn't look back.

"Can we talk… _please_?"

I could have just walked out in that moment but the almost desperate plea in her voice rooted me on the spot. There was heavy air between us ever since Shingashina and from the look Hange had given us before she left the room, it was noticeable. Letting out a small sigh, I let go of the handle before turning to face her.

Mikasa's dark obsidian eyes met my own.

"What is it that you wanted to talk about?" I asked, my voice curt.

Mikasa opened her mouth but no words came out for a few seconds.

"I wanted to…apologize," she said, "For what I've done…I don't how to…make it up to you."

"There is nothing you need to do," I answered her.

Mikasa was confused.

"I don't?"

"The fact that you're not getting the noose right now is proof enough," I told her, "Now, if that's what you wanted to talk about, then I'll leave you to get changed."

I turned toward the door again.

"You're angry with me."

I tightened my hands into fists.

"Really, what give it away?"

"The fact that you haven't spoken a word to me since Shingashina," Mikasa answered.

I turned toward her, narrowing my eyes.

"Unless you've forgotten Mikasa, you've been in detainment since we came back," I told her.

"You could have visited…,"

"Oh really?" I sneered, "Visit the girl that stabbed in the heart…that sound like a good idea."

"I'm sorry okay," Mikasa cried out, "Is that what you want me to say? I'm sorry about what I've done, I'm sorry that in one moment I destroyed everything that we had…I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't going to change what happened," I told her, "Without my Titan powers, I would be dead right now and so will you and for what? How can I even trust you then? How can I trust that you won't do the same thing again in the future when things don't go yours or Eren's way? How can I…?"

I cut myself off, not wanting to say those words.

"You've made yourself pretty clear back then," I said simply, "About where we stand."

"Armin was about to die," Mikasa said, "You just wanted us to watch him die? He is our friend."

"What about the Commander then?" I asked her, "Was his life worth less than Armin's? Do you think any of us wanted to be thrown into a situation where we have to chose which one, we allow to die or live? It was an impossible choice with both unfavorable results."

Mikasa stayed silent for a while.

"You would have chosen the Commander then?" she said.

I frowned to myself. Would I have chosen Erwin over Armin? I don't know really…

"I would have chosen the one that will be most beneficial to humanity as a whole not myself," I answered her, "A lesson you and Eren still have to grasp unto…but all those deaths seems pointless now, given that humanity is not extinct at all as we have believed."

I shook my head.

"It doesn't matter now anyway," I told her, "You've made your choice…but now I've got to make mine. Get yourself dressed; we're going to be late."

With those final words, I turned away from her and walked out of the room.

* * *

I took my seat as everyone was getting ready for the meeting to start. All of the military officials were present. The Scouts were seating in the middle of the room with the Military Police on one side and the Garrison Regiment on the other. A head table was in front of us were Queen Historia sat at the center with the Premiere Zackery and another official whose name escaped me.

"The early life of Grisha Yeager," the Premiere started, "The extend of our knowledge of Titans, and information about the world beyond the Walls. The only people who knows these books exist are in this room with us."

Upon the table in front of Historia were the three books recovered from the basement as well as a strange portrait like image that was called a _photograph._

"Now," Zackary continued, "These texts were obtained from the efforts of the ten members of the Scouts present before us and the hundred ninty nine others who perished in the operation. On this day, in the presence of his Grace, I would like all of us to access our current situation, and come to an agreement about our next course of action."

Zackery glanced around at the room for a few moments before focusing forward once more.

"Scout Commander Hange Zoe," he called out.

Hange stood up from her seat in the front.

"Sir," the woman spoke out, her voice carrying through the dead silence within the room, "The Scouts have suffered a staggering loss. In exchange for the lives of Erwin Smith and countless other heroes, we've managed to reclaim Wall Maria, and seize control of the Colossal Titan and all of it's fearsome strength. That been said, we humans who have lived inside the Walls have just learned just how precarious our situation really is. I'd be relived if Titans were the only monsters we've had as enemies but the truth nature of the foe we face is humans…a whole civilization. One might say is us against the world."

I let out a small sigh and I noticed the shifting looks upon the people that were presents within the room.

"According to these books," Hange continued, "We are of a special race that can turn into Titans called the Subject of Ymir. We ruled the world once and some fear that we will rule again. In so, despite the past hundred year of pacifism…most in the world would like to wipe us out."

 _It's a strange feeling to be know that you're hated so blindly,_ I thought to myself for a few moments.

"Grisha Yeager was given a mission by someone he called the Owl to find and retrieve the Founding Titan's power before the enemy could," Hange continued, "Which had led him to the Reiss family who were in fact the true royal bloodline. Using the power of the Founding Titan, the King stole the memories of everyone within the Wall making us believe that we were the last remaining humans to make this a brief paradise for him."

Hange gave a backward glance toward Eren.

"Doctor Yeager did manage to achieve this mission and he passed on the Founding Titan power to his son Eren," she said, "The Founding Titan's full might can only be brought to bear when it is in the possession of someone of royal blood, however, when a royal came to possess to Founding Titan's power, they succumb to the same ideology as the first King…in a vow to renounce war."

Hange looked forward once more.

"However, Eren had managed to control pure Titans before," she continued, "One time to escape from a dire situation. So, despite his lack of royal blood, it's conditionally possible for him to wield that power too."

I remember that time. Back when Reiner was tossing Titans like it was nothing. It was when Narissa died trying to protect me and giving me time to escape but I couldn't even run back then. I couldn't do a thing while she was eaten right in front of me.

The girl that was like a sister to me had died that day…and there was nothing I could do about it at all…

Just thinking about it is making me sick to my stomach…

" _There is no way,"_ Eren suddenly shouted abruptly standing up.

Hange who was saying something cut of as she glanced back toward young man who had stood up in the room. It was silence once more as everyone was staring at Eren and even I was startled by his sudden movement.

"Whoa, you scared me," Hange said, looking at him, "What is it? What's wrong?"

"I…I just…," Eren mumbled as if he had just realized where he was.

"if you have something to say…we'd be glad to hear it," Zackary told him, wanting to see if he had anything he'd like to add.

The young man glanced at Historia for a moment, who had a surprised expression on her features before he sat back down upon chair.

"No…it's nothing," he said, "Sorry for interrupting Commander."

I glanced at Eren's back who was in front of me and the young man seemed tense all of a sudden. I narrowed my eyes lightly at his back.

 _Did you figure something out…Eren?_

"Oh…I see," Hange said, "I get it now. It would seem Eren is going through an awkward phase. He speaks out of turn and often makes a nuisance out of himself."

"Ah…I see," Zackery said, "That is unfortunate…but he is at that age."

One of the Military Police soldiers poke out.

"You said that our enemy is the entire world?" he said.

"That information should stay in this room," another spoke out, "Regrettably, we can't allow something like that to be known. The chaos it would cause…"

"Yes, I concur," another spoke out, "we can't allow this to get out until we fully grasp the situation."

" _You want us to deceive the people again_?"

Commander Pixis had stood up from his sat, a stern expression crossing his features.

"That is what you're suggesting right?" he continued, his tone cold, "That we keep our citizens complacent and blind as the late King did. If we do that, then by what ideals did we oppose King Reiss? _What right did_ _we have to seize his Crown_?"

The Military Police officers had the decency to look ashamed at that point. I couldn't help but feel a light narrow of my eyes at them. These are the type of peoples that would probably prosper under Reiss's ideology.

"Then we announce it," Historia spoke out.

Gasps echoed across the room as we all looked at the young Queen at the head table.

"It's only fair," Historia continued, "This is information that the people already knew before my predecessors stole it from them. As people of the Walls, all of us will share the same fate, which is why we must unite as one and work together."

* * *

 **The world is about to change for everyone in the Walls...**

 **Next Time:** The Other Side of the Wall

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	67. The Other Side of the Wall

**Hey guys, sorry for the long time without updating. With work I don't get many time to actually seat down and write but i finally got this chapter out as i finished this Arc. Hope you have enjoyed the read so far.**

 **Anyway, Enjoy the read.**

 **Chapter Cover:** Sarah's back with the Survey Corps green cloak dancing in the wind as she stood in front of a large body of water...

Chapter Sixty-Seven

The Other Side of the Wall

The hall was filled with military people that were all around us waiting for the moment of the ceremony that will start soon. I was leaning against the wall beside Sasha's seated form as the girl was finally out of the hospital and was well enough to move about so she was present for this special event that was put up for the members of the Scout Regiment…at least, the few that remained, after all, according the news paper, we were the heroes of the Walls.

It had been three days since the news about the truth of the outside world had been revealed to everyone and the revelation was a mixed bag for all of us after all, the truth of the world had left a bitter taste in my mouth with what we have learned and thanks to Grisha Yeager's journals, we knew that the enemy will return to finish what they've started in the future.

However, today would be the day that our efforts would be honored by the Queen herself for our service to the Walls and to our people. It was a nice of way of saying that our sacrifices weren't in vain and all of the ones that were lost in battle against Reiner and whoever the Beast Titan was.

I let out a small yawn drawing Sasha's eyes.

"You hungry?" she asked me.

"Not everyone thinks with their stomach Sasha," I answered her, "I didn't have much sleep last night anyway."

"I don't think I saw you in bed last night either," Sasha said.

I didn't say anything at all to her, my attention drawn toward a familiar young woman was approaching us. Hitch looked like she had a little bit of makeup on as well as her hair was well taken care of for the big day today. I was kind of surprised she showed up, since I wasn't expecting her to be here at all.

Straightening myself up, I walked forward as she reached Jean and Floch who were standing near each other.

"Hitch, you came," Jean said sounding surprised.

The young woman let out a small laugh.

"I'm just here to see you guys get your medals," she said with a light wave of her hand.

Her eyes glided over my direction and I swore her smile widened lightly.

"Thanks for the support Hitch," I told her with a soft smile, "I appreciate it."

"Least I could do," she answered, "You guys are the big heroes getting medals today."

We exchanged an understanding look between us thought despite she was putting on a brave face, I can see the trace of pain and sadness that was in her eyes. Marlo was someone she cared deeply for, and not having him return from this expedition was painful to her, even if she wasn't saying much about it.

"Marlo…he was brave until the end," Jean said, trying to comfort her.

That brave face she was putting on lowered as she lost her smile.

"I know," she answered, her voice low.

"Right Floch?" Jean asked, glancing at the young man beside him, "Tell her."

Floch stayed silent for a moment before looking up toward Hitch.

"I rode ride beside Marlo," he said, "Just like me…he was an urgent recruit, but unlike me, he was brave and a natural leader. Even when the situation seems hopeless and the Scouts on the verge of ruins, when our panics was given way to despair…he stepped in and inspire us to push on."

"I know…," Hitch repeated, now sounding close to crying.

"He was an amazing person," Floch added.

"I know…that's why he never listened to me," she said.

" _But in the end…I'm sure he wished he never volunteered,"_ he told her.

I glanced at Floch surprised at what he said. It was a callous thing to say and I can feel a flash of anger rising through me at that. Hitch had a look upon her face that was so heartbreaking that it made me wish I could do anything to take away her pain but the girl simply turned away from us.

"Thanks for that," she said, her voice wavering lightly, "I'll make sure to laugh if you guys screw up the ceremony."

With that she walked away without looking back.

"Hitch," I called out but the girl just simply continued to walk away from us.

Jean rounded on the boy, his tone tense.

"Why did you have to tell her that?" he asked.

"Because someone has to tell the truth around here," he spoke out looking at him.

I glared at him.

"There is a time and place to be a dickhead," I told him, "And this wasn't it. Hitch was feeling bad enough about losing someone she cares about and you just had to open your mouth and say something like that to her?"

But Floch was unmoving as he stared right back at me with a stern look upon his face, thought he didn't hold my gaze for long as he turned to look toward the left. I did as well to find Armin, Mikasa and Eren who were looking toward us. Just from that gaze, I understood now why Floch was angry.

 _So, this is what this is about?_ I thought.

"Floch, listen," Armin spoke out, "I heard how hard you fought so that Erwin would be revived."

"That's right," the young man said, "You should be dead…and Erwin should be the one standing in your place and I am not alone in thinking that. All of us do. Everyone who read that report had the same though. Why wasn't Erwin the one that was saved?"

Eren narrowed his eyes in anger.

"What do you know about Armin that justify any of that…tell me?" he asked.

"I don't know anything," Floch spoke out, "I'm not his childhood friend, nor am I his friend at all, but I know why Armin was chosen now. It's because you two got emotional and Captain Levi was the same. You made no rational choice; you treated that syringe like it was yours and you've wasted it. He is alive because you think that your friend's live is more important than the rest of us."

I stayed silent a flashback of what had happened on the roof of Shingashina flashed within my mind. The anger I had within me dissipated. I let out a small sigh and despite how callous he was in saying this, Floch was right in a way.

Footsteps approached us and then Eren came to stand face to face with Floch, a familiar angry look upon his face. Something that I was used to see back during our training days thought it was mostly directed at Jean most of the time.

"Alright, I think it's about time for you to shut your mouth," he growled out.

Floch glared right back at him.

"Eren…I bet even at your core, you're always completely certain that you're in the right," he said, "That's why you don't give up. You're like a little kid who won't have his way or listen to reason."

Eren grit his teeth but he didn't say anything for Mikasa was there with her hand upon his shoulder.

"Eren let it go," she said.

Floch's gaze turned toward her.

"At least you acted like an adult Mikasa," he said to her, "Thought…we all know where you would have ended up has Sarah hadn't spoken out for you."

"Floch enough," I said looking at him.

"What the hell is wrong with you," Jean asked, "Do you really want to do this now? We're about to have a memorial for our fallen comrades and you dredging this up now?"

"Yeah what's really wrong with you?" Connie asked, "What's done is done."

Floch glared at them.

"As for you two?" he asked, "You might not have acted against your superiors but you did nothing to stop Mikasa and Eren either. You just stood there and watched."

He raised both of his hands.

"Medals for what?" he asked, "A memorial for who? When you guys start rebuilding the Survey Corps you better tell your new recruits the truth or you're going to have cowards like me in the ranks. What the hell are we supposed to do now that we've lost Erwin? I know I'm just a fodder…I understand that my life is just expendable but even as that…I should be able to tell it like it is."

I stared at the young man.

"Did you even know Commander Erwin?" I asked him.

Floch stared at me in surprise at my question.

"Did any of us knew who the Commander really was?" I said glancing at the group that was around me, "No…none of us do…none of us could even come close to it. But one person did and that was Captain Levi, the man that was trusted to make a decision when he couldn't. You said we need him…but I say that the Commander had done his duty for humanity. The man who sacrificed everything for us…and it is time we put him to rest for becoming a monster we needed to overcome the Titans."

I looked at Armin's direction.

"I will never say that anyone could replace him," I spoke, "Just like not anyone can replace the people that made the Scouts today. You joined the Scouts because you wanted to be a hero and, in this world,, this is what a hero is. Someone can still see the horizon in the distance…even if he had to stand on the bones of his fallen comrades. We all have some fantasy in our head about what being a Scout means…but this is the reality we all have to face."

I turned my gaze toward Floch once more.

"Commander Erwin was a great man and he will be always be remembered as such," I told him, "But don't make the mistake of thinking he was the only one who made the Scouts Regiment. It had existed long before him, and it will continue long after all of us are dead."

Floch tightened his hands into fists.

"Hey you brats," Levi spoke out approaching us with both of his hands into his pockets, "It's time…line up."

In no time at all, we were all kneeling in front of Historia who was dressed in her Queen robes with the fur coat upon her shoulders and the crown upon her head. She really looked regal within that moment as she passed in front of each and one of us to give us our medals.

The girl reached me and I raised my head so that she could place the medal around my neck.

 _What did we find in that cellar? Was it hope…or was it despair? Or maybe was it the truth nature of the world that await us beyond the Wall?_

She gently tightened it up around my neck.

 _This world…is so unbelievably cruel. I think I finally understand how you felt when you told me just how the world was Maria…I finally see the world for that it's really was. It's going to want to bury us with it's cruelty and we need to fight with all our hearts even if we might not gain what we're seeking._

A soft hand appeared in front of me and I took hold of it.

 _We need to fight for our survival…Fight for your future…_

 _Fight to live…_

 _Fight to survive…_

I gently kissed the hand in front of me thought without my knowledge, my eyes has shifted from it's normal color to a bright gold.

 _Fight for our freedom…_

 _Fight for Everest…_

* * *

 _Hange's executioner from Hell, which had been crushing Titans day and night, went silent just as the snow started to stick._

 _Months later, just when the snow started to melt, the military formally inform that Wall Maria has been cleansed of Titans at last._

 _By the time the Wall mounted elevator had been put to public use and work had begun on the main road, they were flowers in bloom and butterfly dancing between them._

 _Wall Maria refugees were finally permitted to return to their homes, roughly a year after what had been called Humanity's First Victory in Trost…_

 _And so six years have passed since The Colossal Titan destroyed the Gate of Wall Maria…_

* * *

I was walking through the hallway heading toward the Commander's office. It was a hot summer day so far and with the Scouts ranks having swelled up the past year, our numbers were staring to look like the numbers they were when we first headed out to Shingashina and faced the Beast Titan in combat. They were many new recruits from the new Cadet class given our popularity from the Heroes of the Wall as they were nicknaming the ones who survived against the Titan and reclaimed Wall Maria nearly a year ago now.

My hair was pulled in a ponytail, with bangs falling on either side of my face. It had grown longer and the past year and given my new position within the Scouts, I held around with ODM training for the rookies and that had earned me a new rank, since the others were all part of Levi Squad and we were short on hand back then…

I reached the door knocking on it drawing an "Enter" from the Commander. I stepped inside finding Levi was already there and Hange was seating at her desk with papers in front of her.

"Good you're finally here," she said with a light smile, "Enter Captain Ashler."

"Yes Commander," I said, "Sorry it took so long, my team had a slight mishap during training with the Thunder Spears, but there were no life-threatening injuries."

"It did cause a big explosion," Levi said.

"The Thunder Spear malfunctioned," I said, taking a seat across the man, "What is going on?"

Commander Hange let out a small grin.

"We finally got the approval from Sina," she said, "Given the people of Wall Maria have settled in these past five months, we were given the order to Scout out in the territory beyond Wall Maria."

I looked at her surprised.

"An expedition?"

"How soon are we talking here?" Levi asked.

"Next week," Hange said, "I know it's been some times since we've seen any Titan since we cleared Wall Maria's territory however, I want you to make the necessary preparations with your teams."

I nodded and all the other Captains in the room did as well.

"Very well," Hange said, "Let's move on to other things now…"

The meeting continued well with two hours before we were all dismissed and I walked out of the room with both of my arms at my side. It had been a while since our last expedition and it seems that we'll be heading out soon again.

For some reason, I was pretty excited to be out there again. In the past year, Sonja didn't appear anymore and it made me wonder where she had gone at all…thought, I still remember that last word I thought to myself when I received the medal from Historia.

Everest…

Just what could it mean?

There was nothing like that within the Walls at all meaning it could be something from my memories as a Titan but there was nothing coming forward. I was curious about it but other wise, I had an expedition to prepare for.

* * *

The day of the expedition came rapidly and in no time at all, we were all galloping into the open fields beyond Wall Maria as it was for the first time in six years since the Colossal Titan breached the Wall, we were going on new territory. My position was on the left side of the Formation on the first row with Captain Levi and the Command Squad as we were all galloping through the grassy fields passing forest on the way heading Southward.

Through the journey I did see a red flare drawing my gaze toward the direction it came from but since no one seemed to be worried, I wasn't either and in no time at all we had left the grass behind and were now galloping through a sandy terrain, the wind blowing through the area around us.

I glanced at the strange rock formation that I could see in front of me with a light frown but what was more shocking was the Wall that as there. At a glance it was instantly noticeably different than the Walls that made the Districts as this one was white almost gleaming under the sun that was shining above us.

 _In the report Eren had given about what happened to his father, he said there was Wall that the Marleyans kicked people off when they were turned Eldians into Titans…this must be the Wall, it's not as high as the Wall but high enough that no Titans could reach the people on top of it…then that means…beyond that ridge…_

I turned my gaze forward, guiding my horse to follow after Hange who was rising on a little path on the side of the strange white Wall which was in between two rocks formation. Eren and Armin joined us as our horses climbed the path till we reached the top of it.

And then my eyes widened.

The first thing that came to mind was blue. It expended so far out that it completely covered the horizon. It shimmered under the light of the sun similarly to the jewel under Reiss's chapel, and as I continued to stare, I had thought that for one second that it was made of the same material but then, as I started to look closer, I came to a realization that it was water...

A giant body of water…

 _Is this…the sea?_

"Let's find a way down," Hange spoke out her voice low filled with emotions…

None of us could find a word to describe what we were seeing, but we all wanted to have a closer look.

It smelled salty, that was the first thing on my mind as I stood there looking out toward the sea with my cloak dancing in the wind. I had removed my boots and tied Red Mare to a nearby tree before making my way toward it. From the other side, Jean Connie and Sasha were already knee deeps within it playing in the water and even Eren Mikasa and Armin were part of it, all of them standing together at one side.

Small waves no higher than my ankles crashed against the warm white sand before pulling back and repeating the process. With hesitating steps, I walked into the sea, feeling the cool water dance between my toes and seeing this, I couldn't help the tears that were falling from my eyes. I looked up toward the endless blue on the horizon, something within me seemingly awakening. It felt like there was need that was suddenly there within me, and suddenly there was understanding as the memories which were always hidden by the fog within my mind were suddenly wrestled free…

The tears continued to fall from my eyes…

Then I raised my hand toward the horizon, almost as if I was going to grasp something that was just out of reach for me.

"I'll be home soon… _dear sister_."

* * *

 **What did she see on the other side of the sea...?**

 **Hope you have enjoyed the read of this chapter. Originally i had Sonja make an appearance at the last part but i changed it since she didn't have a purpose anymore in Sarah's story anymore as Sarah as now seen the sea, and the new memories that she unlocked because of it...**

 **AN: The updates are going to slow down for this fic, well you see how long it took me just to update this chapter. While i hope it won't take as long for the next few ones, i'm not making any promises that they'll come out faster...however, just know that I'm still working upon this fic and i plan to complete it in the future...thought with the way the manga is going on right now, I'll just focus on the next part before going back on Paradis again.**

 **As I explained, they will be a POV shift and i hope you will enjoy it in the next update.**

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	68. To you, my Beloved

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. A new Arc is starting in this story and this is the POV shift i was talking about before.**

 **Hope you enjoy this new original arc.**

 **Chapter Cover:** A statue of two women back to back with each other. One holding a spear and pointing while the other was holding a leaf and extending her hand.

Chapter Sixty-Eight

To you, my beloved

There was an image of an open grassland, stretching as far as the eyes could see and the person was running through it…

A young dark-haired girl in a fancy dress…

A golden locket…

" _We will always have each other…right?"_

Two amber eyes opened startled from sleep.

The person was breathing heavily, eyes glancing around as if they had no idea where they were at first but then, they suddenly calmed remembering the previous night and the previous day. With a sight, the person placed a hand upon their face, remembering the broken images that formed the dream they were having. It was a recurring dream, though the person knew that it wasn't a dream.

They were memories of the past before everything had gone wrong for their family.

The person pulled themselves into a seating position, running a hand through the dark hair that was falling upon their shoulders. They stayed seating there with both of their hands upon the face at the memories of the dream before turning their gaze at the bedside table.

There were not a lot of things upon the table but the locket from their dreams was there, lying upon it. The person picked it up looking at the golden locket. It was lightly egg shaped with a stylized A upon it embraced with vines almost like they were catching around the form of the A. It was a gift from mother before she passed away and since then they had always had it upon their body…

There was a knock on the door and the person looked up.

"Hey Viggo, you're still asleep?" a voice asked on the other side.

The person, Viggo, placed the locket back upon the table.

"It's open," he answered.

The door opened and a young woman entered within the room. She had short blond hair falling upon her shoulders and bright green eyes. The way she was looking at him had a hint of surprise upon her features, thought there was an understanding within it as well.

"How long did you sleep this time?" she asked.

"Enough," Viggo answered, rubbing his eyes.

He was still a bit tired but not enough to go back to sleep, Viggo with long dark hair falling upon his shoulders and soft ember eyes that almost seems to shine in the low light that was coming from the light that was in the hallway behind the new arrival. His shirt was rumpled from being asleep for so long.

"You didn't even undress yourself before falling asleep the previous night didn't you?" she told him looking at the state of his clothing, "You know you're really starting to look like a bum that sleep on the side of the street when you're like that…It's hard to believe that you're really…"

"What are you even doing here Mel?" Viggo asked, cutting off the tirade she was about to launch herself into.

The blond woman, Mel let out a small sigh.

"Milo and Otis are back," she said extending a hand toward the hallway.

Viggo's eyes widened lightly.

"Why didn't you say that before?" he said quickly standing up.

The man quickly made for the discarded jacket that was lying upon the chair at the small table at the other end of the room. He quickly pulled it on and rushed out of the hallway, passing her as the woman let out a small yelp. The young man rushed through the empty hallway, his mind racing. For them to be back then that would mean everything was up to plan with what was going on within the continent.

He slammed the door of the meeting room open, finding a few people there already. They were three men around the table in front of some papers as they all looked up at his entrance.

"Viggo," Otis spoke out with a light nod, "A bit early for you today isn't it?"

Otis was an average looking man with dark brown hair. He had small black eyes with a light humor visible within his gaze. He was staring out toward him with a small chuckle and the other man Milo looked stern with frown upon his features, like he was annoyed at being interrupted.

"We were in the middle of a meeting Viggo," he said, "At least knock before you are allowed entry."

"Nevermind that," Viggo answered waving it away, "I have been waiting for an entire week…Is it finally time to start?"

"Viggo…," Milo said, exasperated.

Otis waved his hand away.

"It's alright Milo," he said, "I sent Mel to find you so that we could take part in the meeting that will happen today. Should have expected you were just as eager as the rest of us to finally start our fight."

Milo let out a small sigh but he conceded.

"As I was saying," he started, "The Marley occupation has started their work into finding a path in the mountains. Given their treacherous nature, they have been several setbacks. However, their ships have also stepped in at the Port giving a presence at the harbor as well. The man in charge of that unit is Commander Rudolf, a man not to be underestimated. He has led several successful operations for Marley and it would seem that the High Command believe he could have a hand at bringing Everest into heel."

Viggo can feel his fist tightening lightly at the words.

"Ever since the passing of Queen Ilse," Milo continued giving the young man a light glance, "And young Princess Jezabel ascending, for Marley to suddenly decide that they want to straighten the alliance of the two nations…"

"It's not like we believe them at all even if they did come under that banner," Otis told said, "Tensions are high within the city. The appearance of Marleyans troops within the capital is starting to make people nervous. In my patrol, I can even notice more and more incidents happening."

"It's because of the ambassador that was placed within the Capital," Viggo said looking up at them, "Ambassador Ulrich if his name was believed. The man is a spoke person for Marley and is starting to push more Marleyans agenda into our Principality."

Otis let out a sigh.

"If we start this, we might as well start a civil war within the country itself," he said.

Viggo looked up at them.

"But don't you see," he said, "This is the perfect time to strike. We have received word that their Warrior Unit had been sent to Paradis Island to continue the operation started eight years ago. With no Titans present within Marley's hands, this is the perfect opportunity to fight under our equal grounds."

The two men looked at each other. It was one of the main reasons that not a lot of countries in the world ever opposed Marley in the past. With the Power of the Titans under their control, it was easy for Marley to overrun an entire country with the monsters they had under their control and with the current technology that was in her hands, and the words that had spread of what happened to those who opposed them, it was enough to make anyone question whether going against Marley was a good idea or not.

However, with all of the Titans under Marley's control seemingly headed to Paradis Island…

"This a window of opportunity that we can't allow to pass us," Viggo said looking at the men in the room, "This country belong to us, not Marley and I believe it's time we remind them of that."

"Well you're certainly fired up and ready to go," Mel said stepping inside the meeting room as well.

She came to stand beside him, looking at the two men in front of her, the look in her eyes becoming serious.

"I'll say that Viggo here has the right idea," she said looking at them, "I have no sympathy for the devils that live on Paradis, but the Founding Titan has remained out of their grasp for over a century. If the Paradis operation is successful and they've got their hands upon the Founding Titan's power, Marley will become a superpower that we won't be able to defeat…that no one will be able to defeat."

A dark look appeared upon her features.

"We all know the horrors of what happened when Titans ruled this world," she said, "We can't allow it to happen here in our home."

A soft sigh escaped Otis. Milo glanced at him.

"You've made up your mind then?" he asked.

"I have," Otis answered, "We will soak our hands in bloody battlefield dirt so that our people will have a future."

Viggo nodded at him as well as Mel. Milo let out a small sigh.

"I guess there is no point is seating on ceremony then," he spoke out, "There will be a Marleyan convoy that will come to the Capital in three days time. From what I could gather from the chatter in the city during our time there, it was an order from Ambassador Ulrich and there is a rumor that Rudolf will be leading them into the capital."

Viggo looked at him, a light of understanding appearing within his gaze.

"You want us to hit the convoy?" he asked.

A small smirk appeared upon Milo's face.

"If you want to send a message to Marley," he said, "Then that is the best way to do so."

Otis nodded.

"I'll give the men the order to prepare the trucks," he said, "Seems we're heading toward the Capital. I'll contact our men stationed at the Capital to get everything ready."

Viggo nodded at him feeling a light excitement running through him. they were finally going to do this; they were finally going to start fighting back.

For the next hours, the people were starting to load the trucks with their provisions and Viggo was there helping them getting ready as well, the young man hair, now fully revealed into the light was long and shaggy almost as if he had never truly never taken care of it. The area around them was rocky and thanks to the wind it was always seemingly sandy since they were way out in the desert on the edge of Everest.

The sun was now setting as they were going to be heading back to the capital, and Viggo was now standing by himself as he was starring out toward the direction of where the capital was situated. There was nothing but empty lands that he could see however, it was like he could almost see the capital again as he was absently playing with the locket in his hand.

He stared down at the photograph that was within the locket for a few seconds before closing it again.

"Are you brooding again?"

Mel was there approaching toward where he stood. The woman came to stand beside him as he turned his gaze back toward the lands again.

"It will be the first time in a long while that I'll be returning to the Capital," he said, "I haven't been back since I left."

Mel let out a soft hum.

"We know the real reason why Marley is so interested to make a presence here than ever before," he said placing the locket back into his pocket.

"Then, the story about the Goddesses are true then?" she said, leaning against the wall.

Viggo glanced at her.

"I mean, we all know the story they've told us as children," she continued, "About the twin Goddesses that founded our continent and that the people worshipped them for forming our nation."

"Every child knows the tale," Viggo answered her.

Mel glanced at him.

"I think it's as unbelievable as you being royalty," she said.

Viggo actually smirked lightly at her.

"Why? I don't look like the prince charming you were expecting?"

"More like the hobo prince," Mel retorted.

Viggo shook his head, the two laughing softly between them before the smile died as his gaze returned toward the distance. The smile had died in Mel's face as well as she was looking out toward the distance as well.

"It's all going to change isn't it," she said softly, her voice low.

"But for the better," Viggo answered her, looking at the picture within the locket once more.

 _For all of us._

He shut it close.

* * *

The Capital haven't changed much since had last been here, Viggo noticed as he walked through the street in his coat. The young man hair was falling in front of his eyes almost shadowing it from sight as the people moved around him going on about their lives. Cars moved on about the city streets, people walking about the street and yet, it was a testament of how familiar the sight was that he was starting to feel lightly nostalgic.

 _It really hasn't changed one bit._

Then the man came to a stop toward the destination that he was heading to. It was made out of a strange stone that glimmered like diamonds under the light of the bright sun that shone above them. The monument was built thousands of years ago showed two women of identical features, dressed in robes of ancient time as they were standing back to back with each other. The one of the left was holding a flower within her hand looking like she was extending it toward someone unseen by anything but her.

She was called Sonja.

The one of the right was holding a staff, standing like a warrior would be as she was pointing forward as if commanding an Army to follow her orders.

This one was called Anja.

Viggo looked at the two for a long moment.

 _Sonja and Anja,_ he thought, _May you be proud of what we will accomplish today for Everest._

With those words, Viggo made his way out of the area with his hands in his pocket a dark look appearing upon his features. He rushed through the streets quickly entering the building that their allies within the city had managed to secure for the attack they were planning to accomplish.

When he entered the room, most of the people within the room had their firearms ready for the upcoming battle that was about to happen within the area.

"About time you showed up," Mel said throwing a firearm at him.

The familiar weight of the sniper rifle feels like a comforting companion. He had the training for it's uses during the time he had spent with the group. He noticed the stares he was getting as the people were all looking at him. He knew that most of them knew who he was but he barely paid them any attention as he looked at Mel.

"Where is Milo and Otis?" he asked.

"They'll be on the ground with the rest of our men," Mel told him, "they will have the convoy in a pincer maneuver keeping them contained in a single location that way none of them will be able to escape."

Viggo nodded standing up.

"Well then, we know what we need to do," he said, placing the sniper rifle upon his shoulder, "Let's get into position."

Mel looked at him.

"No speech to inspire the troops?" she asked, a light grin upon her lips.

Viggo turned away from her.

"Everyone here is already aware of why we're doing this," he answered her, as he was starting to walk off, "A speech will just be wasting time."

He heard Mel scoff behind him but she didn't say anything something he appreciated. Viggo made his way up toward where his position was, with a perfect view of the street bellow him. The man moved quickly through the area before placing his gun upon the ground and adjusted the scope which was on the weapon.

Picking up the ammunition he needed for his weapon, Viggo placed the ammo and then with a pull of the level has a bullet in the chamber. It took some time but soon enough the convoy was moving through street and Viggo got himself ready as he looked through the scope as they continued through the street. From around the corner he noticed the others getting into position as well.

Viggo calmed his breathing as his hand lingered upon the trigger.

Then he saw the signal, the glinting glass that was shining in his direction…

Then Viggo lined his shot aiming straight at the car that was in the lead…at the driver.

"To you, my beloved," he whispered.

Then he fired.

* * *

 **Hope you have enjoyed this chapter.**

 **Next Time:** Gold and Silver

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


	69. Gold and Silver

**Hey guys, here is the next update of this fanfic. Sorry for the long time without an update but life got really busy.**

 **Anyway, enjoy this new update.**

 **Chapter Cover:** The figure of a young woman seating upon a throne

Chapter Sixty-Nine

Gold and Silver

 **One Hour Ago**

Soft music was playing within the room. It was a well-furnished room filled with lavish couches and many well-made objects. A table in the corner held the object that was playing the music that filled the entire room. Beside the window which was lightly open to let in the cool air within the room, two people were seating in front of a board looking down toward it.

One of them was an older man, dressed in a suit with a well trimmed beard upon his face. His suit was a light brown color and the neck tie was completely black. The man also had dark brown hair, his eyes the color of ice quietly observing the board in front of him with a stern expression upon his long face.

"I believe that you are stumped my friend," his companion spoke out, a light amusement within their tone.

The man chuckled.

"I fear you are just too good at this game," he said shaking his head, "Any move I make right now will probably ended up in my lost. I must admit, I wasn't expecting such a throughout defeat in this round."

He looked up at the young woman across him.

"You are excellent at it, I must say."

The young woman was several years younger than him. With dark hair set up in an elaborate stylish, thought some bangs of black hair still fell upon her brow. She was wearing a long skirt upon her form as well as a well-formed shirt with a coat upon it. The young woman had a light smile upon her lips as she observed him, the amusement within her pale ember eyes were telling.

"I have been playing since I was a child," she told him, "How long have you played Lord Brandon?"

"Not since I was about your age, I would say," the man, Lord Brandon spoke out, "My sister before she married used to play it with me in our youth. She will always win of course, but I practiced with the boys at my old school…the day it happened when I won against her."

The man chuckled, the amusement from the memory causing him brighten.

"The look on her face was one for the photographs as one would say," he told her.

The younger girl's smile never left her lips as she observed him.

"I would have loved to have seen it."

Lord Brandon chuckled.

"It would have you in hysterics if I do say so myself…shall we reset the board for another game?"

The young woman nodded.

"My duties have not yet drawn any trouble yet," she said, "I think I have time for another game."

The man laughed softly as he worked to remake the board once more and replacing the pieces back into their original position. As he was doing so, the young woman's attention was drawn toward the window which gave a view toward the city that was outside of it. Leaning comfortably into her chair, she observed the clouds which were seemingly stationary within the air. Then as she observed, she caught sight of two birds flying together in the distance.

She stared at them solemnly for a few moments, a feeling steering into her heart. It made her remember memories of her childhood for some reason. It was a long way ago since she first thought about her childhood at all ever since her mother passed away. She was forced to grow up since then and the memories of her mother were also faint within her mind, like they were fading away from her very mind.

She returned her gaze toward Lord Brandon who was setting up the board for them again.

The man had been a family friend since she was but a girl. He knew her mother well and had been there for her when she passed away, becoming a trusted advisor to her.

"The people are not happy with the sudden Marley occupation," the man said to her when he was done setting the board.

"Marley and Everest had been allies since before the end of the Titan War," the woman spoke out as she looked at the board in front of her, "My great-grandfather saw to that when grandmother Anja was stolen away by the Subjects of Ymir."

Lord Brandon let out a soft hum.

"You are right," he said moving one of the pieces, "All of that happened more than eighty years ago…however, that alliance is not a free pass for the Marleyan military to station one of it's battleship at the harbor."

The woman looked at him.

"And then there is that plan to build a road within the mountain to connect our country to the rest of the world," Lord Brandon shook his head at the notion, "While I will admit our country isolationist ways have served us in the past but for such sudden change to take place…"

"To refuse them will have brought much more attention to our country Lord Brandon," she told him with a stern tone, "Attention that we don't need."

"And how long it is before Marley start demanding our men to swell their armies?" Lord Brandon asked, "How long is it going to be before they started to demand more than we can give?"

The woman let out a soft sigh.

"You know where that path leads Jezabel," Lord Brandon said, "Once you start, it will be too late to start making correction course."

The young woman, Jezabel, let out a small smile.

"Your council, as always, is always welcome Lord Brandon," she said, moving a piece on the board, "While I can admit I am worried about what could be waiting for us down the line, however, as far as the official records go, Marley is one of our allies. In the past, countries have always shared goods with each other in the past…this is simply one of those times."

Lord Brandon stared at her.

"Your pacifism is showing again Jezabel," he told her.

The woman smiled lightly.

"Oh…forgive me," she said, "I do it subconsciously now."

Lord Brandon returned his attention toward the game in front of him and moved a piece.

"However," Jezabel continued, "This is only a shown of good faith. Recently, I have received words from the High Command at Marley. The Warrior Unit led by their golden boy has gone to Paradis Island. There is a chance that they could recover what was stolen from us all those years ago."

Lord Brandon looked at her.

"The Silver Ash Titan," he said.

Jezabel nodded.

"Despite how many years it had been since Anja was kidnapped by Fritz," she said, "It is one of the main reasons why we've allied ourselves with Marley during the Great Titan War."

"Will they really hand it over?" Lord Brandon asked her.

Jezabel place another piece.

"We gave them no choice but to turn it over to us," she said, "After all, only those with Ashler blood can truly wield the Titan's true power."

There was a knock on the door drawing their attention.

"Enter," Jezabel called out.

One of the maids entered within the room. She kept her eyes down toward the ground.

"Your Grace," she said, "Ambassador Ulrich is here to see you."

She noticed Lord Brandon giving her a curious look but she addressed the maid.

"Send him in," she said.

The maid nodded and turned around leaving the room.

"Were you expecting company after I leave?" he asked.

"I was not," Jezabel answered him, keeping her voice cool, "I wonder why he is here?"

A sound of footsteps stalled any more conversation between the two of them as the Ambassador entered within the room. Everything about Ambassador Ulrich screamed Marley from the way he was dressed in sharp suit with a hat in his hand. The man had short blond hair with fell upon a side of his face and calm gray eyes.

"Ambassador," Jezabel spoke out, giving him a light nod of acknowledgment, "I must admit, I wasn't expecting to meet with you today."

"I hope you can forgive me, Queen Jezabel," Ulrich spoke out with a light bow of his head, "General Rudolf won't be able to meet with you today as was planned."

"Oh?"

The man nodded at her surprise.

"I know I myself set up the meeting between the two of you," he said, "But there was an incident which took place upon the battleship. The Commander had chosen to remain behind upon the ship to overseer the damage that was done, however he is sending in his second in command with a convoy here."

The young woman nodded lightly.

"Ah yes," she said, "Lord Brandon, would you mind leaving us be? There are matters I wish to speak with the Ambassador here."

The man gave her a look but he didn't say anything other than give her a bow and then turning around. When the door clicked close behind him, Jezabel indicated the empty chair in front of her.

"Take a seat, Ambassador," she said.

Ulrich nodded and took the seat that Lord Brandon left behind. The man placed his hat upon the side of the chair, placing both hands upon his lap.

"While I understand Marley's wish to expend this country's resources," she spoke with a curt tone, "the battleship that is seating in my port has raised many concern Ulrich. Ever since it's arrival, the number of incidents involving your soldiers are rising."

She narrowed her eyes.

"When I gave you the honor of being the first outsider to enter our Principality," she said, "I didn't extend that invitation to Commander Rudolf and his men."

Ulrich bowed his head lightly.

"I understand there might be strong sentiments about the sudden arrival of our soldiers," he said, "however, it is only to show that both of our nations are allied."

Jezabel titled her head.

"Really?" she repeated, "And how would Marley answer if I showed up in their waters with a battleship and one of my finest Commanders? Would they have shown the restraint I have shown?"

Ulrich looked a little pale for a moment.

"Our nations are allied," he said, "Ever since your great-grandfather reached out to us…"

"And all of those people are dead," Jezabel answered, "When whatever repair you need for your ship is complete, you will send your soldiers back home less another incident happens again."

Ulrich frowned lightly.

"Your predecessors are the ones who reached out to our country," he said.

The Queen smiled.

"And despite all of it's power," she said, "Marley has yet to deliver upon the promise made that day."

Ulrich stayed silent for a moment. Jezabel sat up from where she was seating glancing at the man with a hardened look upon her features. Ulrich had nothing to say, after all, what could he say to her that wasn't a lie?

"Leave," she said, "And make sure your Commander knows my concerns."

"Of course, Queen Jezabel," Ulrich spoke out standing up, "I'll make sure that Commander Rudolf is aware of everything."

With a bow of respect, he turned around and walked out of the room leaving Jezabel by herself. The young woman let out a small scoff. She knew it was because of her youth that Marley believed that they could just do whatever the want and not gain repercussion for their actions.

Becoming the Queen of the Principality of Everest at sixteen years old was never what she imagined would have happened to her that long ago. She knew that there was a chance it could happen with her mother's declining health, but she never expected it to actually happened too. However, it had happened and the country had mourned the death of it's Good Queen Ilse as the people had nicknamed her mother.

It was shortly after her coronation that Marley had come to her in trying to gain a foothold within the country. In those days, no one could actually stand up to the super power as it was in possession of the power of the Titans and had control over at least six of them.

Beast, Armored, Colossal, Female, Cart and Jaws.

Currently, four of those Titans had been sent to Paradise on a mission to save the world from the Devils of Paradise Island as it was known. Jezabel remembers all to well the parade from that day as it was a well nationalized event in Marley, thought she couldn't help but feel disgust at the entire thing. News from Paradis Island was virtually unknown by anyone as it was impossible to gain anything from it as the Island had been completely overrun with Pure Titans and the rest of the world believes it to be a cursed place.

A cruel way to deal with the Eldians, but how else would humanity deal with the descendants of the devil?

But Everest's story was almost too frighteningly similar.

Jezabel remembers all to well when her mother first told her about the story of their ancestors and about the twin Goddesses who founded this country.

Anja and Sonja.

She had been a child back then, no older than six or seven as she was seating by her mother's side as she was reading the heavy leather book with the woman. She was staring at an image of two women figures who had many other people at their feet.

"It is something that has passed down through our families for generations," Her mother told her, "Anja and Sonja were two young women who were blessed by the heavens themselves to wield the power of the Titans. Unlike the devil spawns of the Eldian Empire, the Goddesses used their power to protect their own country against would be invaders and other people who came seeking their powers."

The woman turned the page showing another image the two women towering above everyone else.

"We are their descendants Jezabel," her mother smiled at her with a soft grin, "Our bloodline is considered sacred in Everest and all of the people who are around us, protect us from harm and keep us safe for only the people in our blood could hold the Power of Twin Goddesses. Even when fallen Eldian Empire was conquering their neighboring lands, they could never conquer Everlast for the Twin Goddesses protected their people."

Jezabel frowned lightly at her mother.

"But…if we had this power then, why haven't we used it?" she asked

Her mother shook her head.

"It's because the Devils of Eldia stole it from us," she said, "They tricked our people and stole Anja from us, the one who bears the power of the Silver Ash Titan. Since then, Sonja had disappeared since her sister was taken and no one knew what happened to her, thought some of our people believe that Anja knew."

The page had turned again showing a devil like figure with a woman in it's grasps as many people had spears in their hands at the figure within it.

"But I believe one day that power will return to us," her mother spoke to her, "When that power return to us and out of the descendant of the devil's hands, our people will finally be able to truly prosper."

The memory faded from her mind as Jezabel stood upon balcony looking out toward the city in front of her. The young Queen stared out toward the large city in front of her, a light frown upon her features. She knew that there was a possibility that Marley might not hand them over the Titan's power. If they knew that Everest had the power to oppose their Titans Unit and the power they have. After all, if their history is to be believed, they were one of the few countries that Eldia couldn't oppress when they were expending their Empire as they had managed to stop their advance dead in their tracks.

The only country to be able to stop Titans when everyone else were getting slaughtered…

 _Which is why we need the Silver Ash Titan,_ she thought, _We need that power back in Ashler's possession. Marley is here but I wasn't born yesterday Ulrich. I know why Commander Rudolf is here for. He is not here to overseer a road building…He is here because Marley wants to keep a close eye on the country that has the power of the Titan as well…_

* * *

 **A new path opens...**

 **Next Time:** Eye of Mind.

 **Jacques0 out.**

 **R &R**


End file.
